Council wants Redlands to continue recycling

Redland City Council’s offtake arrangements for recyclable waste only extend to June 2020 and future recycling arrangements depend on the residents keeping yellow-topped bins free from contaminants.

That’s Redland City Council’s response to questions raised by Redlands2030.

Queensland’s waste recycling problem

The cost to local councils of dealing with recyclable waste is likely to increase when current contracts expire according to Queensland’s local council lobby group, the LGAQ.

Ipswich City Council made the front pages by sending recyclable waste to landfill to avoid paying its recycling contractor an extra $2 million per year, following China’s decision to restrict waste material imports.

Following community outrage and state government criticism the Ipswich City Council backflipped, saying it now wants residents to reduce non-recyclable waste going into yellow  bins.

Ipswich’s recycling fiasco prompted questions about arrangements by other council’s for dealing with recyclable waste. ABC News reported that Brisbane expected no change to its recycling program and Logan City “remained committed to its recycling program, with Visy under contract until at least 2021.”

Council’s for the Gold Coast and Moreton Bay Region also said that they expected no change to current kerbside recycling services.

The Queensland Government has since announced that it will bring forward the re-introduction of a waste management levy and use money from the levy to support development of a “zero waste future” including waste to energy.

What is Redland City Council doing to recycle waste?

Redland City Council recently awarded a $107 million contract for waste collection over 12 years to locally based firm J.J. Richards and Sons Pty Ltd.

But the Council’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan 2015-2020 indicates that offtake of recyclables is done through a contract with Visy.

To clarify the situation for Redlands residents, Redlands2030 asked Council the following questions:

1. What action is Council taking to ensure that Redlands household waste is being recycled rather than ending up in landfill?
2. Does China’s changed stance on accepting recyclable wastes have any implication for Redland City residents and ratepayers in the next few years?
3. When do Redland City’s current contracts for offtake of householders’ recyclables expire?
4. Do these contracts have any provisions for renegotiation in exceptional circumstances (force majeure) such as the current policy change by China?

In response the Council provide the following statement:

It is business as usual for Redland City Council’s kerbside recycling collection service with yellow-topped recycling bins continuing to be collected fortnightly from every Redland residence.

Redland City Mayor Karen Williams said Council has just renegotiated a two-year extension (until June 2020) with Visy, the supplier that sorts, processes or recycles the city’s recyclable materials.

“It is important that Redland Residents continue their efforts to sort their household recyclables so their yellow-topped bin is as free from contaminants as possible. Recycling correctly ensures the city has a premium product that can be properly recycled into new products,” Cr Williams said.

“I urge everyone to be part of the solution – continue to recycle and recycle well. In the Redlands, the average contamination rate for yellow-topped recycling bins remains steady at around 7 per cent, due in part to Council’s sustained and ongoing education campaigns about recycling behaviour, waste minimisation and sustainable living.

“Councils with unacceptably high recycling contamination levels are now facing prohibitive processing costs, following market impacts caused by China’s National Sword Policy.

“Redlands is not in that position, nor do we want to be. Our best course of action is to band together as a community to recycle right, keeping our product clean and saleable,” Cr Williams said.

The only materials your recycling bin loves are firm plastics, steel and aluminum cans, glass, paper and cardboard. The most common contaminants we find are plastic bags, clothing, nappies, styrofoam, food waste and garden waste.

Please do your part by keeping these, along with excess general waste, out of your recycling bin. Excess general waste can be either held over for the next weekly kerbside general waste collection or taken to a waste transfer station free of charge. Council also provides an optional kerbside green waste bin for garden organics.

Current arrangements for recycling in the Redlands are explained in the Council’s:

• Waste Management Strategy
• A-Z of waste and recycling

 

Redlands2030 – 23 April 2018