Community assists in finding sites for new Western Resource Recovery Centre
13 November 2023
A new Resource Recovery Centre in the western part of Ipswich has taken another step forward, ensuring Council can keep up with the waste and recycling needs of the rapidly growing region.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said council had asked the community to put forward suggestions for a shortlist of potential locations to replace the existing centre at Rosewood, which is already operating over capacity and is no longer fit for purpose.
“Extensive community engagement has been undertaken to seek the local community’s views on potential locations for a future Resource Recovery Centre to better support the growing Rosewood, Thagoona and Walloon corridor,” Mayor Harding said.
“In this latest review, more than 750 potential locations were considered, which included the 13 community submissions, 23 council owned sites and 734 privately owned properties to develop a preliminary list to start our detailed investigations.
“After feedback from the community, one of the locations at 545-583 Rosewood Laidley Road, Calvert was removed from consideration by council resolution at the Council Ordinary Meeting in October 2022.
“We have committed to moving through this process in partnership with the local community, approving a recommendation as part of last week’s Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee meeting that consultation on the final list of sites must occur before Councillors make a decision on the site.”
Council announced in August the location for its state-of-the-art Southern Resource Recovery Centre and Animal Management Centre at Redbank Plains to improve its service delivery and better cater for the city’s ever-growing population.
The facility would be designed on council-owned land at 831 Redbank Plains Road, with the site selected after considerable investigation, and would ensure easy, safe access and convenience for customers.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy Chairperson Councillor Paul Tully said council’s resource recovery team worked with a consultant to deliver an initial shortlist of suitable sites that met a list of criteria that had been developed and shared with the community.
“A comprehensive community engagement program has been underway for some period and all feedback from that process, including potential sites nominated by the community, have been fed into the process,” Cr Tully said.
Deputy Mayor and Division 4 Councillor Russell Milligan said the identity of the short-listed sites would remain confidential at this stage subject to detailed review and further assessment to reduce this to a more defined list of potential locations before further community engagement.
“In conclusion a very comprehensive assessment of over 750 potential locations was undertaken, following this process a short list has been developed of the most suitable, sensible, and practical locations that met the site suitability criteria, considering community feedback and location suggestions,” Cr Milligan said.
Division 4 Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said council was serious about providing a first-class waste management and resource recovery service for our growing community.
“We are investing a record $70 million this financial year in improving resource recovery, with a major focus the delivery of fit-for-purpose facilities in high-growth areas to meet the needs of our growing community, recover more resources and reduce waste to landfill,” Cr Kunzelmann said.
Further details on the project are available at Shapeyouripswich.com.au/WesternRRC
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