Photo: Supplied.
FROM REDLAND CITY COUNCIL
When you put your wheelie bin out each week, it’s easy to think of waste as a simple, routine service – collected, taken away and out of sight. But behind that weekly collection is a complex and increasingly costly system that supports both the collection and disposal of waste as well as an entire network of services across the community.
The true cost of your red-lid wheelie bin
Once your bin is emptied, the contents are transported to a landfill for disposal. Because Council does not operate its own landfill, this means waste must be taken well beyond Redlands Coast. As landfill capacity across south-east Queensland becomes more limited and more expensive to manage, these rising transport and disposal costs continue to grow. The flow-on effect is reflected in the waste utility charge, making waste one of the fastest growing costs for all local councils – including Redland.
Kerbside red-lid (general waste) and mixed waste taken to Council’s Recycling and Waste Centres is now becoming the most expensive way households dispose of their waste. Why?
- It contains mixed, unrecyclable material, which isn’t sorted – it’s compacted and continually covered with more and more waste.
- Kerbside waste bins contain approximately 65 per cent of recyclable and compostable material, such as green waste, which shouldn’t be there.
- Landfilling attracts high disposal and waste levy costs, which are set to increase year on year.
In contrast, recycling and green waste are now cheaper to process because materials can be recovered and reused, and recycling avoids a range of other costs.
What else your waste utility charge helps to cover:
- The collection and processing of more than 60,000 tonnes of recyclable material and green waste.
- Assisting 500,000 visitors to eight recycling and waste centres operating 363 days a year, 9.5 hours a day: including staff, equipment, maintenance, processing of 16 different waste streams, and environmental management.
- Around 68,000 public place bin collections.
- Supporting householders, including service changes, bin repair and maintenance, and enquiries resulting in more than 16,000 customer requests annually.
- Community education and clean-up programs to reduce litter and improve recycling habits.
- Community support services, such as manual collections and bulky waste collections for eligible residents.
- Waste reduction and sustainability initiatives.
- Behind-the-scenes administration to plan, manage, and deliver essential waste services.
Working together:
Council provides education on what goes in each bin, how to reduce waste and offers options to change bin sizes or services so households can get the best value. But the system works best when everyone plays their part by reducing waste and sorting waste both at the kerbside and at Recycling and Waste Centres.
Ultimately, your waste charge supports the full journey of waste, from your kerb to its final destination, along with many other services that help keep the community clean along the way.
To find out more, visit Redland.qld.gov.au/waste or search ‘Council’s waste strategy’.
A snapshot:
- Waste is one of the fastest-growing costs for local councils.
- Landfill space is becoming more limited, which means the waste needs to be taken outside the city, contributing to rising landfill costs along with rising waste levy charges.
- The red-lid and mixed waste bin is rapidly becoming your most expensive choice.
- Waste charges cover a broad range of services – much more than just your weekly bin collection.
- You can help by reducing waste in your day-to-day activities and sorting waste into the right bins.
