Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has amended its 2022/23 Register of Fees and Charges.
To ensure there is appropriate cost recovery for waste fees, TRC Water and Waste Committee Portfolio Leader Councillor Nancy Sommerfield said Council had to increase fees slightly as a result of the Queensland Government’s State Waste Levy.
“The levy was first introduced in 2019 by the State Government as a way to encourage waste being diverted away from landfills with a greater emphasis on recycling,” she said.
“While Council is supportive of this notion, and has introduced a number of its own waste diversion initiatives in recent years, we acknowledge this levy is an additional expense for our community.
“As part of the levy, the State Government provided a rebate to local governments, however, this rebate is set to decrease further each year, meaning our residents will be the ones who will end up having to foot the bill.”
From 1 July 2022, the existing levy zone will be divided into a metro and regional zone with Toowoomba Regional Council included in the metro zone.
Local governments in the metro zone will increase annually by $10 per tonne each year, until the State Government general levy rate reaches $145 per tonne on 1 July 2027. All levy rates will then increase each year in line with the consumer price index.
“With local governments being on this price path, the best thing we can do is to encourage our residents to continue looking for ways to divert waste from landfill,” Cr Sommerfield said.
