We all have a responsibility to minimize the waste that we produce due to the ongoing long-term effects it has on our environment.
Council is committed to increasing the level of recycling within the shire, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill, ensuring responsible management of waste facilities, and limiting the cost of waste management to residents as much as possible.
The recyclables that are collected at the Mareeba Shire Waste transfer stations are transported to the Cairns material recovery facility where they are sorted for on processing in secondary markets. The only exception to this is glass where Cairns Regional Council has taken the initiative to process and reuse this waste locally.
Mareeba Shire Council’s kerbside waste is transported to the advanced resource recovery centre in Portsmith where it joins kerbside waste from Douglas Shire and Cairns Regional Council.
There, the organic component, such as kitchen scraps and paper, is composted and the product is used beneficially on local farms. The waste that cannot be composted, the process waste, is transported back to Mareeba landfill and RemondisSpringmount Facility for land filling. These landfills are licensed, fully engineered landfills with dedicated environmental control measures such as a liner and a leachate collection system. Environmental monitoring is undertaken routinely. In recent years Qld EHP has undertaken yearly inspections. Mareeba Shire Council takes pride in achieving environmental compliance as demonstrated by the new Wastewater Treatment Plant and environmental closure works for the old Mareeba Landfill.
Minimise the waste that is deposited into landfill by:
- Composting your food scraps. Compost is a wonderful garden resource.
- Consider a garage sale or donating any used items such as glasses, toys, furniture that are still in good condition to a charitable organisation.
- Before you throw it out, have you thought about reusing, retasking, upcycling or giving it to someone who can use it?
- Still in good condition? You could try selling it. Try a garage sale, an internet service like Gumtree or “Buy, Swap, Sell” pages on Facebook.
