Self-Haul Waste Fee Change

At the Ordinary Meeting of Mareeba Shire Council on Wednesday, 15 December 2021 the Councillors agreed to new fees at the Council’s Waste Transfer Stations.

“Council’s waste service has evolved, in recent decades, from a traditional local government waste collection and disposal service to one that provided a major waste disposal facility accepting domestic and commercial waste from the whole FNQ region. As a result, Council developed its 10-year Waste Management Strategy in 2018, with the Strategy guiding decision-making today and into the future,” Mayor Angela Toppin explained.

“Council must implement a cost recovery model to ensure the long-term financial viability of Council’s Transfer Stations.”

The landfill cell at the Mareeba Transfer Station is in the process of been capped and Council is assessing how best to manage self-haul waste for the town. The construction of a new landfill cell at the Mareeba site is one of the options being considered but no decision will be made until the least cost opinion for the community is determined.

In the interim, the waste that was previously disposed of at the Mareeba Landfill will be transported and landfilled at the privately-owned Springmount Waste Facility which will result in an increase in costs for the disposal of self-haul waste.

Mayor Toppin explained, “The process for residents taking waste to the Transfer Stations is the same, however, the fees will change.”

Fee changes to be implemented at Mareeba Shire Council’s Waste Transfer Stations:

Fee type Current Fee (GST inclusive) New Fee (GST inclusive) Skip bin surcharge

Accepted at Mareeba only

– From 1 January 2022:

$25.00 per skip bin. – accepted at Mareeba only.

Construction & demolition waste including concrete

Commercial and Industrial – bulky, dry landfill

$185/tonne From 1 February 2022:

$235/tonne*

*Fee includes $85 QLD State Waste levy

Residential self-haul domestic waste $90/tonne

100kg free per month

From 1 February 2022, residential self-haul domestic waste will be fully chargeable (no free loads), as follows:

Weighbridge sites will pay $90.00/tonne and will be weighed in and out.

Non-weighbridge sites will pay:

$5.00 per bag (max. 60 litres) $16.50 per car/ute/trailer $22.00 per ute and trailer

“A ‘cost recovery’ system for the use of Council’s Waste Transfer Stations was deemed to be the most fair and equitable solution.”

“In the past, Council relied on the income collected from the Contract with SUEZ for disposing of their waste in our landfill to cover the cost of the ‘one free load’ per property, per month. However, with the end of that contract and the capping of the landfill that source of revenue has ended. Council has no option but to recover the costs incurred from those who use the service and hence to charge the fee at the gate.”

Mayor Toppin appreciates that waste management is a complex business.

“When Council is making decisions on waste management, we consider not only the dumping of self-haul waste at landfills, but waste reduction and circular economy opportunities, waste infrastructure like transfer stations, littering and illegal dumping and how to reduce Council’s own waste.”

A Buy Back Shop will be constructed at the Mareeba Waste Transfer Station in 2022. This will enable goods to be recovered and made available for purchase which will reduce valuable materials being sent to landfill.

“The Councillors are very pleased that the Buy Back Shop will open in 2022. This is a major win for our community.”