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<\/p>\nThe Queensland government is rolling out a new recycling target and giving councils and industry almost half a billion dollars in a bid to curb the amount of rubbish going to landfill.<\/p>\n
Environment Minister Andrew Powell will unveil the government’s new waste strategy on Wednesday, which includes a statewide recycling target of 65 per cent by 2035.<\/p>\n
The plan also calls for a 65 per cent reduction in waste to landfill over the next decade, compared with the baseline level in Queensland in 2019-20.<\/p>\n
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The amount of waste generated in Queensland increased 4.5 per cent last financial year. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n
The move is accompanied by specific targets for the state’s south-east as well as major regional communities, including Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay.<\/p>\n
In the south-east, the government wants waste sent to landfill to fall by 70 per cent over 10 years, while in the major regional hubs it wants a 50 per cent drop.<\/p>\n
For the rest of the state, such as in rural and remote areas, the goal is to maintain the current amount of rubbish disposed of in landfill.<\/p>\n
Waste rate jumps<\/p>\n
Mr Powell said the government had developed targets that reflected the needs of communities across Queensland.<\/p>\n
“This strategy is about doing what we said we would do; reducing landfill, increasing recycling and investing in the infrastructure Queensland needs for the future,” he said.<\/p>\n
“The Crisafulli government knows that what works in south-east Queensland won’t always work in regional Queensland.”<\/p>\n
Last financial year, Queensland generated almost 10.25 million tonnes of waste, a 4.5 per cent jump from the year before, outstripping population growth.<\/p>\n
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Andrew Powell says targets are different in the south-east and rural Queensland.\u00a0 (ABC News: Lucas Hill)<\/p>\n
The new plan replaces a previous strategy from the former government, which aimed for 65 per cent of waste to be diverted from landfill by 2025.<\/p>\n
The old plan also set a target to have recycling rates at 60 per cent by the same year.<\/p>\n
According to the most recent waste survey for the 2024\u201325 financial year, Queensland’s resource recovery rate was sitting at about 58 per cent, which is short of that goal.<\/p>\n
No goals beyond 2035<\/p>\n
The old plan also included a long-term target to divert 90 per cent of waste from landfill by 2050 and a target to get recycling rates to 75 per cent over the same period.<\/p>\n
Similar long-term targets beyond 2035 are not included in the government’s latest plan.<\/p>\n
The new waste strategy also sets a target for 60 per cent of household rubbish to be recycled by 2035.<\/p>\n
The plan says the current recycling rate for households is 28 per cent.<\/p>\n
It says households throw away nearly 690 kilograms of general waste in their red bins every year.<\/p>\n
Waste levy changes<\/p>\n
The government also conducted a review of the waste levy in the past year, but it is yet to reveal what changes it could make to the charge.<\/p>\n
The strategy notes it is underpinned by the levy, which is used to support a range of programs.<\/p>\n
The government says it is giving councils $488 million over the next five years to offset the cost of the levy so it is not passed onto households.<\/p>\n
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In the south-east, the government wants waste to landfill to fall by 70 per cent over 10 years. (ABC Capricornia: Erin Semmler)<\/p>\n
The plan also points to a number of “priority wastes” the government wants to tackle, including mattresses, batteries, and tyres.<\/p>\n
For example, the plan estimates about 300,000 mattresses are dumped in Queensland landfills every year.<\/p>\n