Extraordinary waste clean-up nears completion one year after February 2022 flood
06 March 2023
More than six tonnes of waste have been cleaned up from the city’s waterways by Ipswich City Council in the year since the February 2022 flood.
Remarkably heavy rainfall last year saw a deluge flooding the Bremer River, swamping the city centre and several low-lying suburbs.
The initial flood in February 2022 was followed by a second event in May, which saw the clean-up efforts commence a second time around.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the massive clean-up task involved clearing away more than 570 debris items across the city, including some extraordinary items such as a trampoline left up a tree, pallets, washing machine, furniture and wheelie bins.
“In the first two weeks of disaster after the February flood, council assisted the community in removing almost 10,000 tonnes of waste, with 4,200 tonnes of that being flood waste material,” Mayor Harding said.
“Following the immediate disaster clean-up, council created a dedicated internal team that focused on cleaning up the city’s rivers and waterways in the months after.”
Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Councillor Russell Milligan said there are still several sites where waste removal continues.
“Since the immediate response, council crews have kept up their efforts to clean up the city, removing tonnes of waste from the city’s rivers, creeks, parks and public spaces,” Cr Milligan said.
Division 3 Councillor Marnie Doyle said Ipswich City Council’s internal clean-up team had had their job cut out for them in some of the city’s hardest-hit parks and waterways.
“This team has worked tirelessly to clean up some of our hardest-hit areas including Colleges Crossing, Rotary Park at Booval, Riverside Park at Karalee, Tite Family Park at Bundamba, and Katherine Court Reserve at Karalee,” Cr Doyle said.
Division 3 Councillor Andrew Fechner said Ipswich’s waterways had taken the full force of the deluge.
“It’s good to see the Bremer River and our city’s waterways on track to recovery, thanks to the hard work of our community and our council officers over the past 12 months,” Cr Fechner said.
For more information about Ipswich City Council’s flood recovery efforts, visit Ipswich.qld.gov.au/services/flood-recovery