Community gets to choose when large items collected from kerbside
31 May 2023
Ipswich residents will have greater access and more flexibility to dispose of unwanted household items with the introduction of an annual, on-demand large item collection service.
The new service doubles the frequency of council’s large item collection program, which has previously been held every two years as a city-wide kerbside service, and allows more materials to be saved from landfill.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the new on-demand service would be more convenient, allowing eligible households to choose when they disposed of larger items.
“This is a huge win for council, the community and our environment. Residents will receive an annual and on-demand kerbside collection service and council can save these materials from being sent to landfill,” Mayor Harding said.
“Residents will be able to choose when they want to use their large item collection service each year, maybe for a spring clean or house move, and arrange for collection when it suits them.
“The on-demand service will be introduced next financial year, with council offering each eligible Ipswich household one collection each year at no charge.
“We will also explore options for the service to allow for additional large item collections, within the same year, on a pay-per-use basis.”
Mayor Harding said the on-demand service aligned with council’s innovative Resource Recovery Strategy and as well as improving convenience for residents.
“Previously, kerbside collection items went straight to landfill but under this new model up to 80 per cent of materials will be recovered,” Mayor Harding said.
The shift to an on-demand large item collection service was supported at council's Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee meeting on 11 May and passed at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 25 May.
Mayor Harding said under its Resource Recovery Strategy, council was actively reviewing community waste and recycling services. The aim was to reduce waste generation and disposal and increase resource recovery to deliver effective and efficient waste management.
"The current large item kerbside collection service held every two years has been held for over two
decades and collects about 2,800 tonnes of material," Mayor Harding said.
"A major downside of the service has been that materials collected have gone straight to landfill. This was a driving factor in council finding a more efficient but also greener option for our residents.
"This is a very positive step forward. We will now be able to be recycle most of what is disposed of and are doing our bit to reduce landfill."
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy Chairperson Councillor Paul Tully said a comprehensive analysis was undertaken and found that the existing service required a re-design with a focus on resource recovery.
"An on-demand service aligns with council goals and moves us towards achieving state and national targets for waste diversion and provides the maximum environmental, social, and economic benefits as well as minimising the costs to the community," Cr Tully said.
"Under the containerised on-demand approach it is proposed that residents would book the service online or via telephone.
"They would then be provided with a Iarge 2 cubic metre container, which is collected from the kerb. This is the same volume of material residents could put out on the kerb previously.
"The collected containers would then be taken to specialised waste sorting facilities with the aim of achieving over 80 per cent resource recovery.
"An added benefit of the proposed model is to provide an end-to-end customer experience whereby the contractor is responsible for delivering the container direct to the property; and then collecting the filled container once contacted by the resident within a specified time frame."
Council will now finalise the implementation of the service which will be available to residents in the new financial year.