Media Statements

Thousands of tonnes of waste diverted from landfill

03 September 2025

Tens of thousands of tonnes of waste materials have been diverted from landfill as a result of a series of Ipswich City Council measures embraced by the community.

Environment and Sustainability Committee Chairperson Councillor Jim Madden said a review of council’s City of Ipswich Resource Recovery Strategy 2021-2031 has shown the important benefits for Ipswich residents from key reforms in the delivery of waste services.

“As a council, our overarching goal is to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill – something that is also a priority at a household, regional, national and global level,” Cr Madden said.

“Waste services are among the most challenging spaces in which our council operates, but we continue to meet these challenges head-on with the implementation of key initiatives.

“I’m delighted council has prevented an additional 500 tonnes of green waste going into landfill in the first month since the introduction of city-wide garden organics (GO) bins as part of a standard three-bin service across the city.

“It shows our residents have embraced the new three-bin system and I have no doubt these numbers will surge off the charts during the warmer months.

“With the State Government charging a waste levy for each tonne of waste sent to landfill, it was important to reduce this cost, and we have responded in a way that benefits residents and the environment.

“It’s also important to note our previous opt-in FOGO (food organics garden organics) program turned 70,000 tonnes of materials into quality compost that would have otherwise ended up in landfill.

“Our free On-Demand Large Item Kerbside Collection program has also achieved a 69 per cent recycling rate across its first year, diverting almost 1,000 tonnes from landfill.

“Further, the reintroduction of glass into our recycling system three years ago has resulted in an extra 2,300 tonnes being diverted from landfill, with household recycling rates rising by almost three per cent.”

Cr Madden said having successfully delivered these significant reforms, council is now looking how to continue to improve its waste operations going forward.

“The success of these measures is helping to provide a platform to take our waste services operations into the future,” he said.

“Council is exploring enhanced service opportunities in planning for the new Southern Resource Recovery Centre, set to be built in the southern growth corridor, to give new life to items that would otherwise be destined for landfill, as well as looking into opportunities to support the community and industries in their efforts to enhance the circular economy.

“We also know there are significant technological advances happening throughout the waste-to-energy industry across the South-East Queensland region, so we are continuing to monitor the long-term opportunities in this space to continue to achieve landfill reduction goals.

“While investigations into these initiatives are in the early stages, we are not sitting on our hands when it comes to the long-term sustainability of our city.

“We will also continue to work with the community to provide information about sustainable and appropriate waste practices, including through education programs highlighting recycling, material separation and waste avoidance.”