Kerbside recycling survey on the way

RESIDENTS in the Mareeba Shire will likely get a chance this year to tell the council whether they want a kerbside recycling collection service.

The news comes in the wake of the Express Yourself community survey which showed that the vast majority of respondents from the Mareeba Shire want a kerbside recycling service as residents have in the Tablelands Regional Council area, Douglas Shire and Cairns.

Out of the 510 responses from the Mareeba Shire, 436 indicated they would like to see kerbside recycling introduced and 287 of those were willing to pay between $10-$35 a year for that service.

Currently, residents can take their recyclables to the waste transfer stations which are then sent to the Cairns Materials Recovery Facility.

Mareeba sends an average of 10 tonnes of “domestic’ recycling items to the facility per month, while TRC sends around 19 tonnes a month because much more can be collected through the fortnightly kerbside recycling pick-up.

A spokesperson from Mareeba Shire said the council had conducted the last survey of the community regarding a kerbside recycling service a number of years ago which had clearly indicated ratepayers were not willing to pay for the service.

But councillors have indicated that community sentiments around recycling may have changed and want a further survey to be conducted.

“The timing of this survey will be determined once the new council has finalised the review of the Waste Management Strategic plan,” the spokesperson said.

The current domestic waste contract, which involves all the kerbside waste being transported to Cairns to be processed, will conclude in 2026, allowing the council to undertake an investigation to determine how to dispose of waste in the most cost-effective way.

“Once the detailed costings have been established, council will be able to undertake a survey of all ratepayers in the waste collection areas to establish their willingness to fund a kerbside recycling service,” the spokesperson said.

“In this way, ratepayers will be able to make an informed decision based on the actual costs.”

Survey percentage results below.