General News
23 June, 2026
Kerbside recycling canned
KERBSIDE collection of recycling and organic garden waste will not be introduced into the Mareeba Shire after a community survey revealed 71% of residents did not want to pay for it.
The news came as Mareeba Shire Council approved the Kerbside Collection Services contract at its June meeting last week, for JJ Richards & Sons to begin its waste collection on 1 December.
Discussing the waste survey results, Mayor Angela Toppin said the council had made a balanced assessment on the financial and operational feasibility and community feedback.
“We recognise that while many residents support recycling, the survey highlighted strong community concerns regarding affordability and cost-of-living pressures,” she said.
Introducing additional kerbside collection services would have cost at a minimum $144 per year (or $2.70 a week) for recycling and $1.70 per week for garden organics.
“We will not be introducing kerbside recycling or garden organics services at this time and continue to encourage recycling through the use of existing facilities,” she said.
The survey offered a choice of costs to ratepayers asking respondents what they would actually pay. It also included a supplementary survey asking for responses on recycling habits, knowledge of local services and knowledge of the benefits of recycling.
Of the 1,094 respondents to the survey conducted in March and April this year, 90% were property owners.
Results showed 55.1% of participants were likely to use a kerbside recycling service, however, 71.8% were not willing or able to pay for it.
A garden organic waste service was supported by 32% of respondents, with 85.6% not willing or able to pay.
Services the respondents used or knew about confirmed residents actively used existing waste services, including transfer stations, the Mareeba Buy Back Shop, Containers for Change bag drops, and free recycling options for materials such as cardboard, metals and batteries.
The debate over kerbside collection of recycling was first raised seven years ago, as neighbouring shires began to introduce the service. Cassowary Coast, Douglas Shire, Tablelands and Cairns all provide the collection services.
In speaking to the motion last week, Cr Amy Braes said the number of people responding to the survey showed the community did care about waste management.
“I want to reassure the community that the feedback is not going to be put on the shelf and forgotten. Those survey results are going to play an important role as we move forward and develop our next waste management and resource recovery strategy,” she said.
“While many respondents did support the idea of kerbside recycling, the overwhelming majority indicated they were unwilling or unable to pay.
“So, they are not saying recycling is unimportant, but they’re telling us that cost-of-living pressures are really (their priority)”.
Cr Braes also acknowledged those who were “already doing their best with their at-home systems” and collecting, organising and transporting recyclables.
Speaking after the meeting Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt said for those in the community who were unable to access transfer stations or other services, discussions with advocacy groups or reaching out to neighbours could help.
“It certainly something we could talk about,” she said.
“We are also looking at what we can do to promote more recycling – we have many options, like the garage sale trail, or our buy back shop, which does an absolute roaring trade.
“Containers for change was an eyeopener, it really put a dent in what came into our transfer stations.”
“Recycling is an emotive issue but the interesting thing that I’ve found is that we can do better in things we already have.”
In a statement released on the same day as the meeting, the State Government launched its Delivering Less Landfill, More Recycling 10-year waste strategy.
The strategy introduces a statewide recycling target of 65% by 2035, alongside dedicated targets for both South-East Queensland and regional Queensland.
