Category Archives: Environment

Mowing schedule ramps up


January 31, 2020

Long-awaited and much-needed rain has fallen across Redlands Coast recently, bringing with it a surge of green grass.

Redland City Council has increased its mowing schedule across the City, with staff and contractors working extended hours, including rostered days off and weekends, to mow the more than the 5.6 million square metres of public space that make up our schedule.

Other areas in south east Queensland are facing the same issues with mowing, with grass growing exceptionally fast due to the ideal weather conditions of recent rain and above-20-degree night temperatures.

Council is taking advantage of every fine day to reduce the grass in local parks and reserves, noting that to avoid damaging the grounds after rainfall, parks need to be dry before mowing.

Council appreciates residents’ patience as we work hard to keep up with the growth.

 

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Council critical of South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy


January 29, 2020

Redland City Council has offered only conditional support for a State Government South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy claiming the current draft lacks detail.

Mayor Karen Williams said Council’s own koala strategy has supported and funded Redland koala conservation for over a decade as part of the Koala Coast.

“We recognise that Australia’s iconic koalas need protection and Council supports the adoption of a supporting State strategy,” she said.

“But this draft is little more than an expression of good intentions that fails to address critical details of funding, enabling legislation, research, mapping and collaboration.

“While the strategy identifies the importance of collaborative engagement, there has been none in the preparation of this Strategy.

“Importantly, Council wants to know how the State intends to recognise and respond to crucial local government programs like those in place the Redlands Coast or fund new initiatives where the burden inevitably falls on local government.”

Mayor Williams said the timing of the strategy consultation over the peak summer holiday period and its lack of detail means the community is being asked to take the strategy on trust.

“We need to know how the strategy will be implemented, legislated and funded,” she said.

“It discusses collaboration but fails to address exactly how the State will work with Councils and land managers to support existing programs or fund new initiatives.

“While setting a target for reduced koala deaths, the Strategy does not identify how populations will be measured or knowledge shared at the local level.

“It also ignores the Koala Expert Panel recommendation to ensure that locally significant koala habitat can still be protected through local government planning.

“The separate but linked State Koala Priority Area (KPA) mapping, released for brief consultation late last year, would remove almost half the essential Redlands koala habitat including the entire North Stradbroke island population area.

“Additionally, while stating the intention to prohibit clearing within 300,000ha of mapped KPA habitat, the strategy fails to detail how current exemptions or state planning legislation, codes, or offset policy would achieve this.

“Council’s submission to the State will highlight the need to address these issues before the community can be confident the new strategy will actually make a difference.”

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Electronic waste collection for island communities


January 21, 2020

North Stradbroke, Coochiemudlo and Southern Moreton Bay islands communities will benefit from an electronic waste collection in February.

Mayor Karen Williams said electronic waste was the fastest growing type of waste worldwide and most could be recycled.

“We all have a part to play in how we dispose of e-waste and conserve valuable resources,” she said.

“Australians generate about 53kg of e-waste per household every year and 80 per cent of that is sent to landfill.

“This special collection will give our island residents an opportunity to clear out old e-waste sitting around their homes.”

Cr Williams said electronic waste contained valuable resources, including rare minerals, steel, iron, copper, aluminium, recyclable plastic and glass.

“Recovering these resources reduces our need to extract raw material through mining,” she said.

“As a nation, we buy more than four million computers and three million televisions every year, so the issue is significant.

“I know island residents have been asking for this service and that’s why I am asking them to take unwanted e-waste to their local transfer stations for collection and recycling during the collection period.

“There is no charge to residents to drop off their e-waste and it will be collected by a licenced e-waste management contractor, dismantled and sorted into each recyclable material type in Brisbane for resale and further recycling.”

Collection details

Island residents can deliver their electronic waste to one of the island waste transfer stations listed below from Friday 7 to Wednesday 22 February, 2020 during normal opening hours.

Electronic waste includes:

  • Televisions (rear projection, plasma, LED, CRT, LCD)
  • Computer equipment, including laptop, notebook and desktop computers, and individual parts such as central processing units and motherboards; and peripheral items, including printers, scanners, fax machines, web cameras, hard and floppy drives, mouse and trackball, and keyboards
  • Kitchen and bathroom appliances that have circuit boards such as toasters, kettles, hairdryers and shavers

Large whitegoods, including refrigerators and washing machines, can be delivered to waste transfer stations as scrap metal at any time during the stations’ normal opening hours.

Island businesses can deliver household equivalent amounts of electronic waste at no charge for collection and are urged to contact Council on 3829 8999 (8am–5pm; Monday–Friday) for advice if they have larger amounts to dispose of.

Island waste transfer stations

Please note, Karragarra Island and Lamb Island residents can deliver electronic waste to a waste transfer station on either Russell Island or Macleay Island.  

Coochiemudlo Island: Elizabeth Street

Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 10am–12pm

Saturday and Sunday: 10am–2pm 

Macleay Island: Eastern Road

Monday–Friday: 8am–2pm

Saturday and Sunday 8am–4pm

Russell Island: Davidson Road

Monday–Friday: 8am–2pm

Saturday and Sunday: 8am–4pm 

North Stradbroke Island: East Coast Road

Monday–Friday: 8am–2pm

Saturday and Sunday: 7.30am–3pm

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Smart approach to Redlands Coast litter collection


January 13, 2020

Redland City Council is trialling a solar compacting litter bin in a new high-tech approach to litter disposal.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said it was hoped smart technology would lead to reduced litter disposal costs and an increase in collection efficiency.

The solar compacting bin, which automatically compresses its contents when needed then advises when it is full, is being trialled at Bloomfield Street Park, Cleveland.

“Solar compacting bins could potentially provide benefits in key locations through their capacity to store approximately double the volume of a standard 240 litre wheelie bin, reducing the frequency of collection and also the required number of bins,” Cr Williams said.

“This also reduces visual clutter in foreshore and public place areas.

“Council currently manages almost 500 public litter bins, with collection frequencies varying according to use.

“This technology has the potential for Council to move to an as-needed collection frequency in the future, saving time and ultimately money for our community.”

Cr Williams said Council was also looking at other ‘smart city’ solutions to managing rubbish collections in parks and public places across the city.

“We want Redlands Coast to be a smart city and so we are always looking for ways to improve services while minimising costs through investing in technology,” she said.

Mayor Karen Williams tries out the new solar compacting bin in Cleveland.

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Make water saving your New Year’s resolution


January 6, 2020

While there are currently no water restrictions for Redlands Coast, the hot and dry conditions continue and residents are encouraged to remain water wise and make water savings a New Year’s resolution.

The latest water supply assessment by Seqwater shows that the SEQ Water Grid dams continued to drop during December, losing almost 2.5% over the month.

On the last day of 2019, the SEQ Water Grid combined dam levels were at 56.4%.

For more information: https://www.seqwater.com.au/news/seq-new-years-resolution-save-water-now

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Council says draft State koala mapping needs more work and more time


December 18, 2019

Redland City Council has called on the State Government to extend the consultation period on the draft Koala Priority Area (KPA) mapping to give the community more time to have their say on the proposed changes.

Mayor Karen Williams said giving the community just two weeks to have their say on the proposed changes, which include a proposal to effectively halve local koala protections, was appalling.

“This is one of the poorest examples of Government engagement I have personally witnessed,” she said.

“To put mapping out just before Christmas and give the community only two weeks to have their say is just not on.

“I think Councillors summed it up in today’s meeting using words such as ‘shocked, appalled, absurd and crazy’ to describe the two week consultation period.”

Cr Williams said that despite feedback from Council, and two years of work effort and a commitment to consult with local government, the draft mapping revealed last week proposed to effectively halve the koala areas protected within Redlands Coast.

“The newly revealed mapping will result in substantially reduced and fragmented habitat,” Cr Williams said.

“Under the current draft of State KPA mapping proposals, 1,935ha of existing Redlands Coast koala habitat and 5,680ha of koala rehabilitation areas would be removed from mapping and planning controls.

“While acknowledging the State’s intention to increase the overall net coverage of areas of koala protection across the region, this appears to have been done at the expense of Redlands Coast’s koala population, with what seems to be a substantial reduction in the area of mapped koala habitat in the city.

“This is a retrograde step and prejudices both the investment in time and resources Council has made into koala protection for many years.

“As an example, the new KPA mapping fails to include substantial areas of North Stradbroke Island despite its genetically unique and healthy koala population.

“KPA mapping should be expanded to include unmapped areas of North Stradbroke Island, including, where appropriate, within townships.

“On 30 August, Council wrote to the State Government and encouraged them to use Council’s mapping, which protects far more vegetation where we know, from the work we have done, that there are koalas.

“Instead, the State has relied on spatial analysis of remnant and high-value regrowth vegetation that, without field verification, will result in reduced koala habitat areas across Redlands Coast.

“The State Government is proposing a State-led review of the proposed KPA mapping over the next two years, but today Councillors have made it clear that we want the original area regulated by our mapping included in the State’s new mapping so it is part of the review.”

In addition to providing a submission to the State Government’s proposed mapping, Council will also consider a submission on the State’s koala strategy in January.

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Redland City Council Local Fire Ban extended as at 17 December 2019


December 17, 2019

A Fire Ban is current from 0001hrs Wednesday 17 December 2019 until 2359 Monday 30 December 2019 in the local government areas of Moreton Bay Regional Council, Brisbane City Council and Redland City Council.

More information on the fire ban here: redlnd.cc/FireBan

To report a fire, please contact 000 (triple zero)

If you have any further enquiries please contact the QFES – Redlands Area office on: 07 5420 3733

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No water restrictions, but be water wise


December 13, 2019

While there are currently no water restrictions for Redlands Coast or anywhere in South-East Queensland, residents are encouraged to be water wise.

Water restrictions are set by Seqwater and will be considered when the combined levels of dams in the Seqwater grid reduce to 50%. They are currently at 57.9%. You can keep a track of the level on the Seqwater website (top right corner).

https://www.seqwater.com.au/water-restrictions

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Redlands Coast not-for-profits now eligible for grants funding due to drought declaration


December 13, 2019

As a drought-declared area, Redland City Council, not-for-profit organisations and non-distributing co-operative organisations within Redland City are now automatically eligible to apply for funding under the Federal Government’s Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF) Round 4.

Applications close on 19 December 2019.

The grants are for infrastructure projects or community initiatives such as new or expanded local events and leadership and capability strengthening initiatives.

Prior to being drought-declared, Redland City applicants were required to provide evidence of the impact of the drought. With the drought declaration, applicants now only need to refer to the drought declaration of the Council area. If your organisation is considering an application, you may wish to include the link https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/drought/drought-declarations/ as evidence of your project being in a drought-declared area.

For more information click here  or contact Steve McDonald, Director Regional Development Australia Logan and Redlands on 0429 377 803 or Vicky Bleathman, Operations Manager on 0403 152 390.

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Drought declaration


December 10, 2019

The drought has closed in on South East Queensland with eight local government areas, including Redland City Council, being drought-declared by the Queensland Government, effective from 1 December 2019.

Drought declarations are based on a number of factors including significant lack of rain, depleted pasture reserves and escalating concerns about agricultural water supply.

Primary producers in drought-declared areas may be eligible to receive drought assistance from the Queensland Government, Australian Government or another provider.

For further information on drought assistance visit redlnd.cc/drought or call 13 25 23.

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