Councils alarmed by levy on trash

WHILE most Far Northern councils oppose or aren’t ready to commit to the State Government’s proposed waste levy, one will … as long as its ratepayers don’t wear the cost.

On Friday, Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch said the Palaszczuk Government’s 105 per cent rebate, being offered to councils as part of Queensland’s new resource recovery and waste strategy, would ensure ratepayers were not hit in the hip pocket.

The minister had responded to claims by the Tablelands Regional Council that the levy imposed on council-generated waste would mean an impost of about $805,000 a year.

The levy, $70 a tonne on general waste to landfill, to increase by $5 annually for the first four years, is due to start in Queensland on March 4.

The Cairns Post canvassed several Far Northern councils, and found most did not support the levy, believing the plan to be too scant on details.

Douglas Shire Council, however, supports the strategy, as long as its ratepayers don’t wear the cost.

A DSC spokesman said the council had not yet finalised the financial impact of the levy.

Cairns Regional Council chief executive John Andrejic also said the actual financial impact of the proposed level remained unknown, “due to many variables and the fact that some details of the legislation and how they will impact local government are yet to be finalised.”

Mareeba Mayor Tom Gilmore said his council would implement the waste levy because it was law, and it had “no choice in the matter.”

“The on-cost to ratepayers will of course vary, however there will be a cost to the community either directly or indirectly,” he said. “It’s too early to determine exactly how much it will be, but for certain ratepayers, particularly for the commercial operators, the charge will be significant.”

Cassowary Coast Acting Mayor Wayne Kimberley said his council wanted more clarity on the waste levy.

“Obviously we don’t want to see the cost shifted to the ratepayers,” he said.

“Some of the concerns with the more rural and remote councils are that it will be an increase in cost and there’s a lot more difficulty in implementing these types of things.”

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