25 February 2022
A push to safeguard the region’s sustainability and increase recycling rates will see Southern Downs Regional Council expand its delivery of roadside waste collection services, with an additional 1225 residential collections points from 4 April 2022.
New access to Council’s full suite of domestic waste services will initially be offered free for three months to the eligible properties before compulsory waste management charges are applied, effective from 1 July 2022.
The expansion of the Designated Waste Collection Area (DWCA) forms part of the ongoing strategic actions identified in Council’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan 2021-2024, adopted by Council on 26 May 2021.
Bolstering the region’s recycling capacity further aligns Southern Downs with the Queensland Government’s newly introduced Queensland Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy 2018-2050 (Queensland's waste strategy, 2021).
Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi said the expansion of convenient waste management services to more properties was a progressive and necessary step forward in continuing the region’s long term environmental sustainability.
"The State Government’s aspirations to develop circular economies in the regions to address recycling could open opportunities for more resource recovery focused businesses to make Southern Downs home,” Mayor Pennisi said.
“In 2020 the Southern Downs community disposed of over 27,000 tonnes of waste into landfill. Collectively we need to work together to divert waste from landfill and find innovative ways of resource recovery.
“We must address the ongoing need to manage waste responsibly while investigating long term sustainable waste disposal practices to reduce our environmental footprint.
“By expanding our designated waste collection area and delivering roadside collection to more eligible properties, all ratepayers ultimately benefit as more households will have access to a dedicated recycling bin and we can rescue more recyclables from our landfill and increase its lifespan.”
Eligible residents receiving the new service within the expanded DWCA will be notified by mail in early March. The new bins will be delivered to eligible properties towards the end of March, with each residential dwelling within the DWCA receiving one 240L general waste (red lid) bin to be collected weekly and one 240L recyclables (yellow lid) bin to be collected fortnightly. Further information and answers to frequently asked questions about the expansion of services can be found on Council’s website.
There may be some minor changes to collection days or times for properties within the current area, which will be communicated to residents prior to any changes.
Last edited date 25 Feb 2022