Redland City Council is reminding the community that everyone has a role to play in helping drive down the amount of waste being sent to landfill from red-lid bins on Redlands Coast.
Mayor Jos Mitchell said reaching the city’s target of a 15 per cent reduction in waste to landfill by 2030 would require all households across the city to rethink their waste.
“There are several reasons we need to improve our waste habits as a community, with one of the most important being a need to mitigate the rising costs of waste management,” the Mayor said.
“For instance, the increase in the Queensland waste disposal levy alone is expected to add an extra $8.6 million to Council’s annual waste bill by 2031.
“By recycling more and reducing your waste, you will also be contributing to the circular economy and helping to create a more sustainable future for the city.
“As Council has reiterated on several occasions, we need to ensure the right items are being placed in the right bins to prevent recyclable materials from being lost to landfill.
“At the moment, about 16 per cent of what is disposed of in red-lid general waste bins could be recycled, with the most common culprits being paper, cardboard and hard plastics.”
The Mayor said reducing the amount of waste being sent to landfill would also provide a range of environmental benefits.
“Maintaining a circular economy will help take pressure off our finite natural resources and unlock more jobs in recycling,” the Mayor said.
“It pays to be mindful that landfill sites have a range of impacts on our environment, from emitting harmful greenhouse gasses to putting waste materials in the ground that take a significant amount of time to break down.
“Our society is also quickly running out of land to accommodate these facilities and the cost of their long-term maintenance after they close comes at a significant cost to local governments, and therefore the community.
“Council’s long-term goal is to become a zero-waste society by 2050, but to achieve this we all need to rethink our waste.”
A range of resources are available online to help households improve their recycling such as Council’s online A-Z Recycling Guide and the downloadable RecycleMate app.
Council also has a flexible bin menu available that allows residents to downsize their general waste bin or upgrade their recycling bin for a one-off establishment fee.
This allows households to increase their recycling output while also pocketing savings on the annual waste and recycling charges.
To find out more about these resources and about waste and recycling on Redlands Coast, visit the Council website.
