Council moves to allay fears as state- of- art Stuart facility looms Plan to close Jensen tip

THE Townsville City Council has plans to close the dump at Jensen.

Water and Waste Committee chair Cr Paul Jacob said the Jensen tip’s planned closure was part of the council’s rationalising of all the council’s landfills and waste transfer stations.

“The main tip we are focusing on for everything is the Stuart tip,” he said.

“That will become the largest, most state- of- the- art, transfer station.”

Cr Jacob’s comments came after residents raised concerns the Jensen and Bluewater tips would close.

“I can reiterate that the tip itself will be closing at Jensen,” he said. “For the time being though, until the end of the year, residents will still be able to use the transfer.

“But it will be totally closed I believe, reasonably soon, after either the end of this year or early next year.

“And the people of my area – Bushland Beach, Deeragun, North Shore and Mount Low – will be able to go to the Hervey Range Rd tip, which will be fully operational, to drop off all green waste and all sorts of things.

“Only people in my Division 2, from Bushland Beach, Mount Low, Deeragun and North Shore, will be affected by the closure of the Jensen tip.”

Cr Jacob said residents of Bushland Beach, Mount Low, Deeragun and North Shore had easy access to the Hervey Range Rd tip.

“Because the freeway is now open, residents can get very quickly from Mount Low, Deeragun, North Shore or Bushland Beach, drive to the Hervey Range Rd tip,” he said.

“It only takes five to seven minutes for a trip in a trailer to get to the transfer station, so residents, they won’t have any problem with easy access. It’s a little inconvenient, but it is a rationalisation of the tips that has always been the plan.”

Cr Jacob said the long- term rationalisation of the city’s tips included eventually closing the transfer station at Hervey Range Rd.

“The council doesn’t have a timeline when the Hervey Range Rd tip will close but it won’t be anytime soon,” he said. “The Hervey Range Rd tip will continue to operate for quite a while yet.”

Cr Jacob said the Bluewater tip would remain open.