By JONATHON HOWARD
TENTERFIELD Shire Council has reviewed waste disposal fees at all landfills and transfer stations across the shire with increases effective as of 1 July.
Mayor Peter Petty said unfortunately the increases were necessary for the council to have a sustainable waste operation into the future.
“For a long time now the real cost of disposing of waste to landfill has not been recognised, with operational requirements being met from reserves and long-term loans,” he said.
“The increased fees reflect the true cost of managing landfill including the establishment of waste cells, environmental monitoring, repaying $1.25 million in loans and site management in accordance with legislation.”
Cr Petty said that although the increases in disposal fees were significant they were still below the costs of our neighbouring shires.
“Particularly on the eastern side, where it costs as much as $13 to dispose of one wheelie bin,” he said.
The main increase is in commercial skip bin services which have previously cost more to provide than the revenue collected.
Council’s Manager of Water and Waste, Deanne Eaton said for anyone worried about the increase in disposal fees, the easiest solution was to think more about the items they purchased, how they were packaged and what they disposed of.
“We can all reduce our waste by separating recyclables and removing organics,” Mr Eaton said.
“Under the new fee structure, there is no fee for disposing of metal, glass and cardboard at the transfer station and we will add recyclable plastics as the year progresses.”
War on dumpers
TENTERFIELD Shire Council will step up the battle against illegal dumping.
“Instances of illegal dumping do tend to occur following increases in waste disposal fees,” Cr Petty said.
Residents were asked to be vigilant and report any sightings of illegal dumping. There is a $750 on-the-spot fine for people caught illegal dumping.
“We really appreciate the community’s efforts in understanding the scope of the issues we are facing in waste”, Cr Petty said.
“We have come a long way and with these increases, the worst of the issues can be dealt with. We appreciate the community’s understanding that our waste operators are just doing their job when collecting fees.”
