Council has ongoing engagement with the State Government with regards to the changes in waste legislation, the new waste strategy and the introduction of the waste levy.
A council spokesman confirmed that as council does not own any landfills, it does not have to do any infrastructure or IT systems upgrades to be ‘levy ready’.
However, with the introduction of the waste levy, council is planning for, and will be working on, programs to divert waste from landfill, he said.
The State Government will be providing advance payments to council which will be calculated at 105 per cent of the previous financial year’s waste to landfill tonnages by the waste levy amount (expected to be $70 per tonne).
“Council can use this advance payment to invest back in to waste diversion programs as well as offset the costs to council for waste disposal to landfill,” the spokesperson said.
Council is currently in the planning phases to release an expression of interest (EOI) for waste management and recycling with a focus on resource recovery.
The outcomes of the EOI will further support efforts to divert waste from landfill which will enable avoidance of paying the waste levy at landfill sites.
Council is in the process of transforming the way it undertakes waste management operations and is positioning Ipswich to be a “Biofutures and Resource Recovery Hub” for the region.
Council views the global and state ‘disruptors’, being China’s National Sword Policy and the Queensland State Government’s changes to waste legislation and strategy respectively, as major opportunities to change the way Ipswich handles waste.
“It means Ipswich can enable projects and programs to ‘manage waste as a resource’ in alignment with the council’s corporate strategies,” the spokesperson said.
“It is council’s goal to create a circular economy whereby waste resources are recovered and are able to be re-processed, therefore placing a value on waste resources.”
Council will continue to work to maintain reasonable and affordable waste management costs to Ipswich ratepayers by ensuring waste and recycling services are provided in the most efficient and cost-effective way and in alignment with external market forces.