June 28, 2022
South Burnett Regional Council (SBRC) is proposing that a kerbside recycling collection service start in January.
The plan, which would cost ratepayers $70 a year, is being considered as part of Council’s 2022-23 Budget deliberations.
The SBRC has been investigating the introduction of a recycling service since January, running internal workshops and discussing the idea with current and prospective service providers.
“Government policy is changing, with Waste Levy reform under way,” Mayor Brett Otto said.
“We now find ourselves in a position where we must expand our recycling efforts to divert waste from landfill, to reduce the pinch of the levy.”
But before a recycling collection service can begin, a Materials Recovery Facility for the sorting and bulking up of co-mingled recyclables must be found.
“We have a technologically advanced facility nearby, managed by Cherbourg Aboriginal Council, and they are keen to ramp up their operations to accept our recyclables,” Mayor Otto said.
A Council spokesperson said a kerbside recycling service would divert about 3000 tonnes a year of material from landfill.
The cost would be partially offset by operational savings with as much as $300,000 in disposal costs saved.
The recycling collection service would cost ratepayers $35 per bin per half year if it begins in January 2023.
“Recycling improves the health of our environment by reducing landfill gas and leachate emissions and will support the local economy through job creation at the Materials Resource Facility at Cherbourg,” Mayor Otto said.
Further community engagement will occur over the next six months, addressing kerbside recycling and waste management more generally.
Related articles:
- Councillors Discuss Recycling Again
- E-Waste Skips Now At Tips
- Council To Revisit Kerbside Recycling
- Council Ponders Recycling
- Recycling ‘Too Expensive’
- Council Seeking Quotes On Recycling
- What Do You Think About Kerbside Recycling?
- Council Looks At Kerbside Recycling
The Cherbourg material recycling facility is a great achievement by all involved in getting it to a state of the art position.
This decision will have many benefits such as improving economic and employment outcomes for Cherbourg residents as well as repurposing the South Burnett’s waste so that future ratepayers don’t have to pay for the carefree way in which we can dump our rubbish in landfill today.
Great decision to reduce ratepayers’ future costs of rehabilitating dumps and find new sites by giving priority to creating a circular economy now.
Next step will be every publicly owned building and space generating revenue from renewable energy generation and further saving ratepayers’ costs.
I drive past the local dump at least once a week and currently it costs me nothing to pop in and place recyclables in the appropriate bins.
There should be an opt out clause in this legislation to allow people to do what I do. People doing that could get a receipt from the gatekeeper to prove they are recycling their rubbish.
With the economy the way it is, finding another $70/yr, especially in the case of pensioners, won’t be easy.
What I would gladly pay $70/yr for is the prompt repair of potholes and broken road edges. To me this is far more important than recycling. It can be a life and death issue.
The current state of some roads is quite dangerous. There is a pothole in the middle of Izzards Road near the turn-off to the Nanango dump. If a motorcycle or pushbike rider hit that they’d likely end up in hospital.
Similarly, the edges of Izzards Road and George Street are badly broken away in places. A driver could easily put a wheel off and lose control and end up into a tree or on oncoming traffic. A friend had wheel/axle damage caused by said broken edges while driving in heavy fog recently.
Isn’t it an obligation under law for councils to properly maintain roads so that they are safe to drive along? Perhaps my friend could sue for reimbursement of the cost of repairs to their vehicle.
Council had a levy of $200 back in 2010/2011 to repair roads damaged by the floods, so I feel it should seriously consider at least a levy of $50 to allow for repair of the roads now.