Scheme set for roll-out

THE Gold Coast will have more than 30 container drop-off points when the recycling return scheme is launched next week.

So far more than 230 container refund points have been announced across the state, 31 of which are in the Coolangatta to Oxenford catchment.

From November 1, 10 cents will be given to every container residents take to the over-thecounter, drop-off and pop-up collection points.

But the predicted reduction in council recycling waste has some local governments concerned they will miss out on the new stream of revenue.

If residents continue to put the plastic in their yellow bins, and not take to the drop-off points, councils and Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) will split the 10-cent refund.

The Gold Coast City Council won’t know the full impact of the initative, if any, until the budget in March.

“We support the State’s container refund scheme as it is aimed at reducing plastic litter,” Mayor Tom Tate said.

“We will need to look at any potential rate impacts when we start drafting the 2019-2020 City budget next March.”

LNP Shadow Minister for the Environment David Crisafulli, who is also supportive of the program, criticised proposed drop-off zones and the

“confused” roll out. “This was supposed to come into effect several months ago but they weren’t ready to roll out, so we supported the decision to push it out to November,” he said.

“Now they have had enough time but I still fear there is going to be a level of confusion because of that poor planning.

“The greatest example is the lack of drop-off areas in the northern Gold Coast.”

Collection points have only been placed as far north as Oxenford, but no further south than Beenleigh leaving a 22km gap along the M1. Mr Crisafulli, Road; Currumbin: 741 Pacific Parade; Main Beach: Southport Surf Life Saving Club, MacArthur Parade; Mermaid Beach: 2392 State Route 2; 1172 Hedges Avenue; and Nobby’s Beach Life Saving Club, 25 Albatross Avenue; Molendinar: 9 Precision Dr; Mudgeeraba: 196206 Highfield Dr; Nerang: 15 Station St; Oxenford: 160 Old Pacific Highway; Palm Beach: 1291 Gold Coast Highway; 16 Twenty Eighth Ave; and 15 Palm Beach Ave; Runaway Bay: Envirobank Runaway Bay Shopping Village, cnr Bayview St & Lae Dr; Southport: 15 Nind St; Surfers Paradise: 51 Garfield Terrace; Tamborine Mountain: 137 Knoll Rd; Tugun: 471 Golden Four Dr; Varsity Lakes: TOMRA Collection, 2 Flint Court. the Member for Broadwater, said schools and community groups in Coomera, Pimpama and Ormeau would therefore miss out.

Fellow LNP MP Michael Crandon, the Member for Coomera, would like drop-off points at shopping centres.

“What we have got is an electorate that is 22km long, and those people have no where they can recycle their containers.”

The State Government has planned to grow the number of facilities as the scheme rolls out.

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