Redland City Council has joined four other south-east Queensland councils in seeking regulatory approval to explore options for future waste management services.
Redland City Council, along with Ipswich City Council, Logan City Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council and Somerset Regional Council, has applied to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for authorisation to invite expressions of interest (EOI) in the provision of future waste disposal and/or resource recovery services.
Proposals would be invited for a regional solution, or for solutions which will suit one or more council areas. The proposals could range from small scale through to large scale integrated regional solutions and can be focused on one or more of available waste streams offered by the councils.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said she supported a regional approach to meet the challenges of the changing waste sector and to move to a more sustainable circular economy.
“My role as Deputy Chair of the Council of Mayors (SEQ) Waste Working Group has highlighted to me the potential benefits of such collaboration for Redlands Coast, especially since the 2011 closure of our last local disposal site at Birkdale,” Cr Williams said.
“Redland City Council has been actively exploring regional collaboration opportunities since 2010 and has a waste disposal agreement with Brisbane City Council until June 2020.
“With a good recycling rate for municipal solid waste, Redlands Coast residents have been increasingly embracing optional household green waste bins and upsizing to larger recycling bins.
“However, there is always room for improvement and the time is right for Redland City Council to embrace regional waste and resource recovery opportunities that may not be viable to consider alone.
“Like our neighbouring councils, we need ongoing engagement with a range of industry players to identify innovation and proposals to keep valuable resources out of landfill.
All documentation relating to the joint application will be made public and published on the ACCC’s Authorisations Register.
It is expected the EOI will be advertised by the end of March.