May 17, 2019
Less than a month after announcing it would substantially increase tip fees on July 1, Gympie Regional Council (GRC) has axed the idea.
Last month, the Council announced a plan to increase its dumping fees for household waste by 20 to 60 per cent, blaming the State Government’s $75-per-tonne Waste Levy for the rise.
Under the plan, the cost of taking up to a wheelie bin’s worth of rubbish to a GRC landfill would have increased from $5.40 to $6.50.
The cost of a ute, van or single axle trailer load would have risen to $28.90 (up from $17), and owners of larger trailers and light commercial vehicles would have paid $60 (up from $36) to dump their rubbish.
But on Friday, the Council announced it has slashed the fee rises.
Prices for wheelie bin loads will now only rise from $5.40 to $5.50; single-axle trailer loads from $17 to $17.50; and dual-axle loads from $36 to $37.
Gympie Mayor Mick Curran said the levy legislation had changed several times since it was brought in, and this had caused some confusion.
Councillors had instructed staff the levy should be charged at the gate.
However, Council has now re-examined the impact of the levy and the rebates it will receive from the State Government and decided not to adopt the new charges.
GRC introduced tip fees in 2017 in exchange for making several changes to its fees and charges.
These included dropping GRC’s kerbside collection price by more than $20; abolishing the $85 Waste Levy; and axing the $90 and $230 annual charges for former Cooloola and Kilkivan Shire Council residents who had no waste collection service.
Mayor Curran said a bonus of the more modest increases is that from July 1, lawn clippings and processed or mulched green waste will now be free to dump at GRC landfills.
- Related article: Gympie Tip Fees Set To Rise
