The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has launched a campaign calling on the State Government to restore its 100 per cent offset of the state waste levy for councils.
The #BinTheTax campaign uses an animated ibis – a bin chicken – to call for commonsense and comes as the State Government greatly reduces offset payments for 19 councils.
“From July 1, millions of Queenslanders will be forced to pay a state waste levy – a bin tax – for the waste they send to landfill,” LGAQ CEO, Alison Smith, said.
“Some councils are already being slugged with the bin tax while others will join them from today.
“This is happening because councils in waste levy zones will no longer receive the 100 per cent offset which has been paid by the state.
“That offset has been paid to councils in order to prevent the levy being applied to household bins.
“However that is all changing, with the offset dropping to 70 per cent for some councils this financial year, and the offset amount forecast to drop each year going forwards unless the State Government agrees to a reset.”
Across Queensland, the 19 councils and their communities who will face an almost $30 million reduction in offset payments from 1 July are: Brisbane City Council, Bundaberg Regional Council, Cairns Regional Council, Gladstone Regional Council, Gold Coast City Council, Ipswich City Council, Logan City Council, Mackay Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Toowoomba Regional Council, Townsville City Council, Somerset Regional Council, Moreton Bay City Council, Redland City Council, Rockhampton Regional Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, and Fraser Coast Regional Council.
“If you’re in the waste levy zone, your council will be forced to choose between passing the cost on to ratepayers, or having less money for council services like parks, libraries and community facilities,” Smith said.
“The waste levy is part of the State Government’s plan to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill and to increase recycling.
“However, when the former State Government first introduced plans to reduce the levy offset paid to councils, it made two promises – ensuring the levy has no direct impact on households, and that a $2.1 billion investment into recycling options and other markets for kerbside waste occurs to ensure households had the options they needed to divert waste out of their bins in order to avoid the tax.
“That investment and those options are not in place, meaning households don’t have appropriate waste diversion options,” Smith said.
This financial year the recent State Budget shows an estimated $477 million in revenue will be generated by the state government from the waste levy.
“Councils are calling for a reset,” Smith said.
“We welcome the launch of a new Queensland Waste Strategy that is currently out for public consultation, but we are calling for a pause on any reduction to the waste levy offset payments to councils until this review is completed.”
The LGAQ has launched a Bin the Tax campaign, spearheaded by Queensland’s iconic and ironic waste expert, Chooky the Bin Chicken.
“Don’t dump the cost on ratepayers; bin the tax, it stinks,” is the start of Chooky’s commentary on the bin tax.
Gladstone Mayor and LGAQ President, Matt Burnett, said, “In my time as a mayor, I’ve worked with the teams who collect bins, the communities who use them, and approved the budgets that keep those services running.
“Councils are proud to deliver these services, and support smart, sustainable options for residents to minimise waste.
“Councils are asking the Queensland Government to #BinTheTax until the full review of the waste levy is done.”
Fraser Coast Mayor, George Seymour, said that the Queensland Government’s cost-shifting would force Fraser Coast Regional Council to pass on $1 million in extra costs to local households this financial year alone, and more than $22 million over the next six years.
“The Queensland Government says the waste tax helps reduce landfill and support recycling, but they’re cutting funding before regional councils have the infrastructure or support to meet their waste reduction and recycling targets,” Mayor Seymour said.
“We strongly support better recycling, and we have already invested $31 million in a new state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility in Maryborough, without a single dollar of support from the Queensland or Federal Governments.
“Now we’re being asked to do more, with less, and pay more for it. That’s simply not fair to our community.”
Rockhampton Mayor, Tony Williams, acknowledged that change was needed in the waste sector but taxing local residents when there were no investment-ready diversion methods was not the way.
“I think ultimately we all want the same thing, but the State Government is going about this in the wrong order,” Mayor Williams said.
“These new charges are going to hit the community at a really difficult time, and they will continue to grow out to 2030.
“For Rockhampton that means over $1 million in additional costs this year as a direct result of the State Government’s decision. That will grow to $2.9 million by 2030.
“We want to work with the government to plan, develop and deliver waste diversion initiatives that actually work. That needs to be focused first and foremost.
“We need a rethink to this policy and a different approach from the government.”
Gold Coast Mayor, Tom Tate, said that the increase in the waste levy is concerning, as council’s have no option but to pass it on to ratepayers at a time when cost of living continues to hit hard.
“All levels of government need to work together to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and this will require major community education programs and innovative solutions like waste to energy which is in widespread use throughout Asia and Europe,” Mayor Tate said.
“That’s why Gold Coast is investing in a waste to energy project in the north of our city at Stapylton.
“This is a major challenge that cannot be left to local government alone.
“Whilst the current State Government are still in their first year, and it was the previous government that introduced the waste levy, I urge the government to partner with local government across Queensland to deliver outcomes that benefit the environment and reduce costs in the longer term.”
Redland City Mayor, Jos Mitchell, said that the widening waste levy funding gap created by the successive Queensland Governments is forecast to rise to $2.2 million in 2025-2026 for Redland City, and to $8.6 million by 2030-31.
“Redland City Council, like other Queensland councils, will struggle to bridge this increasing gap, while the impacts are borne by ratepayers already feeling the stress of a cost-of-living crisis,” Mayor Mitchell said.
Sunshine Coast Mayor, Rosanna Natoli, said that as one of Queensland’s fastest-growing regions, the Sunshine Coast was already feeling the pressure on its waste services.
“We’re working hard to manage that growth responsibly, without passing unnecessary costs onto our householders,” Mayor Natoli said.
“Our community expects us to deliver efficient, sustainable waste services – and we do.
“But the State’s waste levy amounts to a bin tax that hits households directly and it’s a cost we simply cannot absorb.
“This campaign is about protecting our residents.
“It’s not just about bins – it’s about fairness.
“We’re standing with the LGAQ to say no to a bin tax because it’s our job to stand up for our community.”
