Redland City Council will install litter baskets in 272 Raby Bay stormwater catch pits in a move to significantly reduce the amount of rubbish entering the canals.

Mayor Karen Williams said the installation, funded through a Federal Government Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Grant, should be completed by the end of March 2021.

“Local waterways are important to our community and Council is committed to improving waterway health for the benefit of both residents and aquatic life,” she said.

“The Raby Bay canals are cleaned about four to six times each year and the amount of rubbish collected tends to be event driven.

“If there is heavy rain, it typically flushes a lot of debris and rubbish into the canals where it gets stuck on the revetment walls and sits in front of houses.

“Shopping trolleys are regularly found, along with palm fronds, leaves and logs, and pollutants such as plastic, bottles and other rubbish that gets washed off the streets.

“The litter baskets are expected to capture much of this material so it doesn’t make its way into our naturally wonderful environment.”

Litter baskets are being installed in Raby Bay stormwater catch pits.

Federal Member for Bowman Andrew Laming said clean canals meant better water quality.

“Redlanders are mostly doing the right thing but as a last line of defense these litter baskets will make sure the waste ends up where it belongs, and not in our waterways,” he said.

Division 2 Councillor Peter Mitchell said the litter baskets would be retro fitted into all existing catch pits in Raby Bay and along the canals.

“Council regularly receives calls from residents concerned about rubbish in the estate so any measures to reduce that will be welcomed,” he said.

“There is also a lot of aquatic life in the canals including dolphins, dugongs, turtles, fish, stingrays, prawns, squid and even pockets of seagrass and coral – which will all benefit from a less-polluted environment.”

The litter baskets will be cleaned four times a year, with Council to collate data on the type of rubbish and pollutants collected.

There are litter baskets installed at 43 other locations throughout the city – at Redland Bay and Birkdale.

Redland City Council is calling for expressions of interest from partners interested in being involved in the development of a local renewable hydrogen economy on the Redlands Coast.

Council is seeking interest from parties to finance and develop a business case to fund and build a pilot plant to convert wastewater to renewable hydrogen at the Mount Cotton Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Council today released the expression of interest (EOI) to attract funding to develop a business case which would address Council’s ‘Redlands Coast Wastewater to Energy Feasibility Study August 2020’.

“Our aim is to identify partners who can help build a pilot plant that integrates renewable hydrogen production into the Mount Cotton WWTP,” Cr Williams said.

“Hydrogen is in the spotlight worldwide as a viable source of renewable energy and Redlands Coast is looking to be a part of it.

“Multiple hydrogen technologies are being developed on the Redlands Coast, with QUT’s Institute for Future Environments basing its renewable hydrogen projects at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Redlands Research Centre.”

Council investigations to date are an extension of the research and development completed by QUT and show how these technologies can be integrated into local communities.

Cr Williams said there were many benefits of establishing a hydrogen economy on the Redlands Coast, including:

• cheaper, greener energy for local residents and businesses
• creating jobs and attracting investment to the region
• ‘decarbonising’ the local economy
• providing green power for remote and island communities
• providing efficiencies for energy-heavy assets such as wastewater treatment plants.

The business case has the potential to be used as a blueprint for other wastewater treatment plant integration projects.

To download a copy of the EOI, please go to redland.qld.gov.au/info/20164/tenders_and_contracting/225/current_tenders

The EOI closes on 12 February 2021.