More trees planted to cater for waste expansion

Council is set to expand the Eumundi Noosa Road waste facility to ensure it keeps pace with growing demand for recycling. 

The expansion will utilise land long set aside by Council for waste and resource recovery activities.

It follows a decision of Council at Monday’s General Committee Meeting.

The expansion will also make sure the site meets all the latest safety and environmental controls.

An independent planning assessment, plus a review by an external ecologist, gives the green light to clear a portion of vegetation within the site.

The parcel will accommodate a new sediment basin to manage site run-off, freeing up the smaller existing basin for expanded resource recovery and recycling operations.

“The volume of concrete waste dropped off at the landfill for recycling has been steadily increasing,” Mayor Clare Stewart said.

“If we’re to keep processing all of this material, plus steel and green waste, to keep it all out of landfill then we need more space and more stringent sediment controls.

“The larger sediment basin – which the state has told us we need - will protect downstream aquatic habitats, vegetation, and wetlands from sedimentation as our resource recovery operations grow.”

Development and Regulation Director, Richard MacGillivray, said the subject area has long been set aside by Council for waste and resource recovery uses.

"This will see some trees removed, but planning conditions will ensure six new trees – for each existing tree removed - will be planted on a site to the southern end of the waste facility as an environmental offset.”

Notably, more than 76% of the 322-hectare waste facility site is already protected as nature refuge.

“Council has previously set aside the most ecologically sensitive and valuable parts of the waste facility site for permanent protection as nature refuge,” Mayor Stewart said.

“By expanding our waste operations onto this remaining portion of the site, we will future-proof our waste and resource recovery site to cater for growth, while fulfilling our environmental compliance obligations, imposed by the state.

“We’ll also be boosting safety by creating a buffer between the drop-off areas used by the public, and our on-ground recycling operations.”

In addition to the offset plantings, wildlife spotters will oversee clearing of the site to minimise the impact on fauna.