Gladstone council to increase kerbside collection costs by 15 per cent

The Gladstone Region Mayor says council has done its best for ratepayers following its new $42M waste and recycling contract.

A number of bins around Gladstone are left out front of properties with out ever being moved off the street.

Gladstone Region residents might think it’s rubbish, but the cost of collecting their wheelie bins is going to jump 15 per cent next year.

Council last week agreed to a seven-year contract with JJ Richards Waste & Recycling worth an estimated $42m starting February 2026 and finishing January 2033.

The current 3.5 year contract with JJ Richards expires in January 2026.

Following questioning by Councillor Leanne Patrick, council officers said domestic kerbside collection made up about 70 per cent of the new cost with about five per cent coming from commercial collection.

Councillor Leanne Patrick, Gladstone Regional Council.

Officers said the annual cost per rate payer would increase about 15 per cent up from the current $85 charge.

The red bin general waste charge will increase by 18 per cent and the yellow recycling bin by 13 per cent.

The report to council said the tender offer from JJ Richards & Sons ranked the highest (after six providers were approached) following technical evaluation and was deemed to demonstrate capability and a high probability of success in delivering the services.

“JJ’s Waste & Recycling demonstrated a presence in the Gladstone region and proposed a sufficient amount of local spend and overall benefit to the Gladstone community,” the report said.

“(They) demonstrated a great level of understanding and adequate resourcing to deliver the required services and key personnel nominated have adequate years of relevant experience.”

Organic bins will save space at Gladstone’s landfill. Photo David Sparkes / The Observer

The report said further analysis was undertaken to assess the impact of an additional organics service during the contract term and while another bidder Remondis Australia presented the best pricing for implementation of organic collection services, the outcome of the value for money assessment ranked JJ Richards and Sons first for both options (waste collection services and organic) should it be implemented.

Councillor Kahn Goodluck said the introduction of a food organics collection service would also lead to landfill cost benefits.

“It’s not the only the collection services that you will save ratepayers money,” he said.

“I think the estimates were food organics take up 40 to 50 per cent space in the red bins which then take up valuable space in the landfill.

“If you bring in the green bin you’re effectively saving 50 per cent of the air space in your landfill.”

Gladstone Councillor Kahn Goodluck.

He said council’s current landfill cost about $8m to establish and the forecast for the next one was an estimated $16 million.

“Every square metre of space you can save there will save you money in the long term,” he said.

“It might cost you more to put another bin service in but organics and garden waste take up red big space. There is work to be done on how does percentage space savings translate to rate savings.”

Mayor Matt Burnett said council had done the best it could for ratepayers by going out to tender.

The contract involves the collection, transport and deposit of waste and recyclable waste from residential, multi-unit and commercial properties within the Gladstone, Calliope, Boyne Island, Tannum Sands, Raglan, Mt Larcom, Yarwun, Many Peaks, Builyan, Ubobo, Nagoorin, Benaraby, Turkey Beach, Bororen, Miriam Vale, Agnes Water, Town of Seventeen Seventy, Baffle Creek, Deep Water, Rosedale, Lowmead and surrounding areas.

Services to be provided also includes collection from council facilities and bulk bin locations, multi-residential special events, dead animal collection, regulated waste, various liquid removal and disposal services, confidential bin services and line haul services.