Waste station consolidation to save $426,000 a year

Fraser Coast ratepayers will save about $426,000 a year following a Council decision to consolidate its waste facility network and close smaller, inefficient transfer stations.

At its recent meeting, Fraser Coast Regional Council resolved to close four of its 11 waste facilities to deliver financial savings to the community and improve operations and resource recovery at the remaining facilities.

“Ratepayers are currently funding a level of service in some areas that greatly exceeds best practice standards which aim to have more than 80 per cent of residents within a 20-minute drive and 95 per cent within a 30-minute drive of a waste facility,” Cr David Lee said.

"On average, Council spends $25 to handle each visitor at one of the smaller waste facilities, with the closing facilities having few customers. In Yengarie, for example, we average only two customers an hour, while in Granville, we average only five customers an hour.

“By closing the Burrum Heads and Yengarie transfer stations along with the Granville and Tinana landfills, Council will continue to provide a level of service above the benchmark while delivering annual financial savings of about $426,000.

“The changes will mean 90 per cent of Fraser Coast residents will still be within a 15-minute drive of a waste facility, 97 per cent of residents will still be within a 20-minute drive, and 99 per cent will still be within a 30-minute drive.

“The significant financial savings for the community flowing from this decision can be used to improve infrastructure at the sites remaining open in Hervey Bay, Maryborough, Howard, Toogoom, Aramara, Boonooroo and Bauple.

“It will also allow Council to increase our recycling efforts, which is a key element of our 2019-2029 Waste Strategy.”

The four facilities will close on 26 June 2023.

Once the consolidation takes effect, residents will have a range of options to dispose of waste, such as:

• Burrum Heads customers can dispose of waste at Toogoom or Howard Waste Facilities.
• Yengarie customers can dispose of waste at Maryborough or Bauple Waste Facilities
• Granville customers can dispose of waste at Maryborough or Boonooroo Waste Facilities
• Tinana customers can dispose of waste at Maryborough Waste Facility.

In addition, all these areas will continue to receive a weekly waste and fortnightly recycling kerbside bin collection.

Cr Lee said the savings come through reduced site supervision costs, the reduced costs needed to move material from the transfer stations, reduced costs of handling material for the landfill as more material will be recycled, and increased returns from the sale of recycled material.

“The sites are managed by contractors who plan to reallocate staff into improving resource recovery at other facilities,” he said.

In recent years, Council has invested millions to improve the efficiency, environmental effectiveness, and lifespan of the Saltwater Creek Road Landfill in Maryborough.

Council is also building a new regional Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at the Saltwater Creek Road Landfill to increase the recycling rate in the region.