- The Palaszczuk Government has supported five North Queensland Councils to develop a new Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Management Plan.
- The plan outlines the key actions and investments needed in infrastructure and initiatives to deliver better, more co-ordinated services and reduce household waste to landfill.
A collaborative approach to waste and resource recovery is set to deliver better, more accessible services and create jobs in regional and remote communities across north Queensland.
Environment Minister Leanne Linard and North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NQROC) chair and Burdekin Shire Mayor Lyn McLaughlin have released a new Regional Waste and Resource Recovery Management Plan.
The Palaszczuk Government provided $300,000 in funding to assist NQROC in developing the plan, which is a blueprint for the region's investment in waste management and will help address the challenges of service delivery in regional and remote areas, delivering economies of scale and a higher level of cooperation.
The plan was developed by the five member councils that make up the NQROC – Burdekin Shire Council, Charters Towers Regional Council, Hinchinbrook Shire Council, Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council and Townsville City Council
It outlines a range of actions over the immediate to long-term including:
- Optimising regional service arrangements to deliver better servicing for rural and remote communities
- New transfer station facilities, consolidation of transfer facilities and closure of existing rural landfills
- Enhancing kerbside collection approaches to increase capture of co-mingled recyclables
- Maximising the diversion of organics from landfill
- Optimising the regional network of resource recovery facilities through "hub and spoke" arrangements
- Developing a centralised resource recovery precinct, and
- Developing alternatives to landfill for residual waste.
- Improved community engagement through education and awareness
These key actions will help deliver new economic and market development outcomes for the region, creating jobs through the establishment of new collection, sorting and processing facilities.
The Department of Environment and Science will support NQROC to implement the plan.
Quotes attributable to Environment Minister, Leanne Linard:
"The Palaszczuk Government is committed to working with councils in regional and remote parts of Queensland to enhance their waste and resource recovery services as we move to a zero-waste society by 2050.
"Compared with more populated regions, distance and the availability of infrastructure and resources mean that regional and remote councils and communities have to do more with less across a wide range of resource recovery and other services.
"Resource recovery is of vital importance in our drive for environmental sustainability, embodying the principles of a circular economy by reusing, recycling, and repurposing materials and energy sources, thereby reducing waste generation and conserving valuable resources.
"This not only reduces the strain on our finite resources but also minimises the sometimes harmful environmental impacts associated with waste disposal.
"As well, resource recovery contributes to economic growth by fostering innovation, creating jobs, and reducing the costs of raw material acquisition.
"The new NQROC Regional Resource Recovery Plan will guide Councils' decisions, bringing a maximum return on investment in waste management and resource recovery infrastructure and initiatives."
Quotes attributable to NQROC Chair and Mayor of the Burdekin Shire Council, Cr Lyn McLaughlin:
"In 2020, the North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (NQROC) delivered a Waste Management Strategy to guide the region over the next 20 years.
"Local Governments are at the coal face of managing waste and resource recovery. The challenges are significant and can only be met through regional collaboration.
"It is a balance between rising landfill and waste transport costs, a lack of local processing services and rightful community expectations of protecting the environment.
"Infrastructure improvements, the establishment of re-processing industries, and improvements to our processes are included in our Plan. So is the education of our communities, such that they better understand the role they play in managing waste.
"It is important that regional efforts are prioritised, coordinated, planned, and funded.
"NQROC thanks the Queensland Government, in particular the Department of Environment and Science, for working in partnership to make this plan possible."
