KICKED TO THE KERB
DUMP vouchers should be returned and Townsville’s “eyesore” kerbside collection binned, according to a number of independent council candidates.
But Mayor Jenny Hill says the chequered past of dump vouchers and the State Government’s crackdown on waste mean there’s no going back.
Only 23 per cent of dump vouchers were being cashed in before they were phased out.
And last year Townsville City Council’s annual kerbside collection run picked up 2800 tonnes of waste from 24,400 households.
DUMP vouchers should be returned and Townsville’s “eyesore” kerbside collection binned, according to a number of independent council candidates.
But Mayor Jenny Hill says the chequered past of dump vouchers and the State Government’s crackdown on waste mean there’s no going back.
Division 9 candidate Corey Davis (pictured) has proposed scrapping Townsville City Council’s annual kerbside collection run, which this year picked up 2800 tonnes of waste from 24,400 households, and switching back to dump vouchers with the option of flexible kerbside collection for certain sections of the community.
Under Mr Davis’ plan, which is similar to what exists in the City of Newcastle, NSW, residents would be able to ring the council to organise a hard rubbish pick-up once or twice a year. His plan is supported by independent candidates and former councillors Sue Blom (Div 2) and Trevor Roberts (Div 6), who were still part of the council and voted against Mayor Jenny Hill’s kerbside collection plan when it first popped up in 2014.
But Cr Hill said only 23 per cent of dump vouchers were being used before they were phased out in her second term, and that kerbside collection worked better with the council’s scheme of providing free dump days and allowing green waste to be chucked at the tip at no cost year round.
She said the state’s waste levy, which came in during July 2019 to help spur recycling and stop Queensland generating waste faster than population growth, made dumping rubbish more expensive.
Ms Blom, Mr Davis, and Mr Roberts said residents they had spoken to were strongly in favour of dump vouchers.