Miles Government's $9M Ipswich waste management boost

• The Miles Government has committed more than $9 million in funding to enhance waste services and management in the Ipswich local government area.
• The bulk of the funding will support the full roll-out of food organic and garden organic (FOGO) waste collection, including new lime green kerbside bins and kitchen caddies, as well as bin harmonisation and a community education program.
• Other funds will support the Council to send the waste it collects to facilities capable of managing odour issues consistent with community expectations.

The Miles Government will provide Ipswich City Council with more than $9 million in funding to enhance waste services and address issues with waste management in the city.

Environment Minister Leanne Linard said more than $7 million of the government’s investment will support the full roll-out of food organic and garden organic (FOGO) waste collection, which was successfully trialled in the area in 2021/22.

The funding will allow for the delivery of 68,000 new lime-green organics kerbside bins as well as 96,000 kitchen caddies.

It will also support bin harmonisation, which will see dark green lids on existing residual waste bins replaced with red lids as part of a nation-wide push to make bin lid colours consistent. The government will also fund a community education program about FOGO collection.

The remaining funding will support Ipswich City Council to transport the organic materials it collects to a facility that meets Queensland Government best practice guidelines for processing.

The funding is part of a total $151 million funding commitment to help councils across Queensland implement FOGO waste collection services.

Implementing organics collection is a vital step in propelling Queensland towards state and national resource recovery targets and will substantially reduce waste going to landfill, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs.  

Quotes attributable to the Minister and the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Leanne Linard:

“We know that Queenslanders want to do more to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and the introduction of FOGO waste collection to our resource recovery mix is the next important step in achieving that goal.

“That is why the Miles Government is investing $151 million to support Councils in rolling out FOGO collection in their communities.

“Most organic waste in Queensland currently ends up in landfill, where it emits methane gas and leaves significant organic resources wasted.

“By collecting organic waste and reprocessing it to a high standard, we’re reducing greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring these resources are not wasted.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development and Member for Bundamba, Lance McCallum:

“The full roll-out of FOGO waste collection across Ipswich is one of the most significant improvements to household waste in a generation.

“Ipswich government MPs are united in their expectation that any full roll-out of FOGO waste collection by Council does not create local odours.

“We know that composting facilities are the most likely cause of odour issues which have been impacting the Swanbank and surrounding communities for some time and the Miles Government is investing significant resources to address this issue.

“This additional funding will support Council to collect organic materials and send them to a facility that meets the Queensland Government’s best practice guidelines for composting high odour risk materials, given there are currently no local operators that meet these standards.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Child Safety, Minister for Seniors and Disability Services and Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Member for Jordan, Charis Mullen:

“The Miles Government’s Organics Strategy and Action Plan provides a roadmap for reducing the amount of organic waste being generated as well as improving the management of this valuable resource where it has been generated.

“We are committed to halving the amount of food waste generated by 2030, diverting 80 percent of organic material from landfill and achieving a minimum organics recycling rate of 70 percent.

“This funding will ensure that the Ipswich community is playing its part in meeting these ambitious targets which is great for our community and environment.”

Quotes attributable to the Assistant Minister for Treasury, Trade and Investment and Member for Ipswich, Jennifer Howard:

“In a Queensland first, more than 1,000 households in Raceview and Bellbird Park participated in Council’s trial FOGO collection for 12 months, with 82 tonnes of waste diverted away from landfill.

“The feedback I received from the community was that they supported the roll-out of FOGO waste collection.

“I am proud that Miles Government funding will enable Ipswich to maintain its leadership in this important area by being among the first councils to move to a full roll-out of FOGO collection services.

Quotes attributable to the Member for Ipswich West, Jim Madden:

“I have no doubt that Ipswich residents will get right behind the full roll-out of FOGO waste collection.

“Organic waste can be turned into high value compost, mulch, and soil products that can be used for a range of things, like tree planting, soil improvement, and revegetation projects.

“By recycling, food waste is put to good use the important nutrients and resources in food scraps are reused and put back into the environment as compost.”

ENDS

Media contact: Scott Chandler – (07) 3719 7339