17 July 2023
Southern Downs Regional Council will introduce new industry-best waste management practices at Southern Downs supervised waste facilities from 31 July 2023 to build-on existing measures that extend the life of the region’s landfill.
With more than 2,500 mattresses dumped each year on the Southern Downs, Council will engage an external contractor to periodically shred mattresses to reduce their volume by up to 85 per cent as part of a sustainable recycling program that already addresses environmental obligations from the disposal of fridges and air conditioners.
To subsidise the cost of the new service and place downward pressure on rates for all residents, a fee of $15 will apply for the disposal of each mattress and $12 for each fridge, freezer and air-conditioning unit.
Southern Downs Director Planning and Environmental Services Scott Riley said it was an exciting and progressive development in the evolving waste sustainability space.
“Council is committed to finding the best possible waste management solutions that will support the future growth of our region and we must address the immediate and pressing need to manage waste responsibly whilst investigating more long-term sustainable waste disposal practices,” Mr Riley said.
“We already have established processes in place to extend the life of our landfill and this new practice complements what we need to achieve in the long-term.
“By separating the metal springs from the foam in mattresses, we can repurpose the metal and compact the foam to extend landfill capacity, which is reflective of industry best practice.
“As Council, we are also responsible for the environmental management of air conditioners, freezers and refrigerator gas disposal and employ a qualified contractor to appropriately collect and recycle the gas from each unit before it is placed in the scrap metal stockpile.
“This service comes at a cost to Council and therefore a decision to move to a user pay system for disposal of these items has been adopted beginning 31 July 2023.”
Council is required to degas fridges, freezers and air conditioners to meet environmental obligations. Old fridges and freezers must be disposed of correctly so they can be degassed. Refrigerant is a very harmful greenhouse gas which is released into the atmosphere when these items are dumped or sent to scrap metal without being degassed.
Last edited date 17 Jul 2023