General News
29 May, 2026
Waste services get a shake-up
MAREEBA’S waste trucks will not travel through the centre of town carrying the whiff of rubbish down Byrnes Street, following the council’s official approval of waste disposal continuing to go to Springmount landfill.
The move is part of a shake-up of waste services in the shire, based on contract renewals in 2026. Among the considerations was whether to reopen the Mareeba landfill site, new contracts for transfer station operations, and rubbish collection services encompassing recycling and green waste.
At the monthly council meeting last week, Deputy Mayor Lenore Wyatt said the decision to have the trucks going straight to Springmount instead of reopening the Mareeba landfill, was a good decision.
“So they’re not going through the main street – the smell! – or down the range,” she said.
“We’ve had good discussions, which we have also all learned from, and taken our time to make sure we are making a good decision, not just on cost but on impact to the community.”
The new five-year service for waste disposal was awarded to Redmondis and begins in August.
In the meantime, the Mareeba landfill site will remain with the council, should it be needed in the future.
Council has also shortlisted the expressions of interest for the provision Transfer Station Operations and called for tenders.
A decision on expanding kerbside waste collection services is next on the list, with a council spokesperson advising it was still being assessed and likely to be discussed at the next meeting in June.
Residents were surveyed in March about what they would pay annually for recycling and green waste bins if included in the kerbside waste collection service.
The survey followed councils’ approval in February of a seven-year waste collection contract renewal to JJ Richards & Sons Pty Ltd, due to begin in December.
In its tender, the company had included an optional cost assessment for the addition of a recycling and/or Garden Organic (GO) kerbside service.
