{"id":216974,"date":"2018-08-31T17:05:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T07:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=216974"},"modified":"2020-07-28T12:29:18","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T02:29:18","slug":"councils-get-help-with-waste-levy-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/08\/31\/councils-get-help-with-waste-levy-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Councils Get Help With Waste Levy Costs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The South Burnett’s waste transfer stations may all need some upgrades to meet the requirements of the
new Waste Levy when it is introduced in March next year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Environment Minister
Leanne Enoch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

August 31, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Burnett, Gympie and Toowoomba Regional Councils will get some financial assistance to help prepare for Queensland’s new waste levy … providing they apply for it.<\/p>\n

On Friday, the State Government announced it will make $5 million available to help 38 councils impacted by the levy to get ‘levy ready’ before the scheme comes into force on March 4, 2019.<\/p>\n

Councils can apply for funding under the 2018-19 Local Government Levy Ready Grant Program, which supports infrastructure improvements at waste disposal facilities.<\/p>\n

Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said grant funding could be used for fencing, security cameras, upgrading IT and signage.<\/p>\n

Councils with larger waste disposal facilities which process more than 5,000 tonnes of waste per year can also apply for funding for weighbridges and gatehouses.<\/p>\n

The grant program is being administered by the Department of Local Government on behalf of the Department of Environment and Science.<\/p>\n

Local Government Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the amount of waste generated in Queensland was increasing faster than the population was growing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Reintroducing a waste disposal levy is part of our broader strategy to improve waste recycling and recovery,” Mr Hinchliffe said.<\/p>\n

“Our local councils will play a key role in helping their communities reduce waste and increase resource recovery, and that\u2019s why we\u2019re doing all we can to help councils get ready.”<\/p>\n

Ms Enoch said Queensland\u2019s new waste disposal levy would also lead to the creation of jobs, particularly in regional areas.<\/p>\n

“This will provide a growing incentive for the community and business to take advantage of expanding resource recovery and recycling options across the state,” she said.<\/p>\n

“The levy will also bring Queensland into line with New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia, which have similar levies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“When Queensland introduced a waste levy in 2011, resource recovery companies invested in new recycling and processing infrastructure to process material diverted from landfill.<\/p>\n

“This helped to create new employment and market development opportunities for the sector.<\/p>\n

“But when that levy was repealed, landfill disposal increased as New South Wales waste was shipped across the border and recycling remained flat.”<\/p>\n

The 2018-19 Local Government Levy Ready Grant Program will be open for applications between August 31 and October 12.<\/p>\n

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