Gympie council considering expansion of Bonnick Road dump

A proposed $12m waste transfer station is not the only option on the table as Gympie’s Bonnick Road tip continues to fill

The Bonnick Road dump could still have some more life left in it, with the council exploring whether it could be expanded as a soultion to how waste will be disposed of in the region in the future.

Reports of the Bonnick Road dump’s demise may be premature, with Gympie Regional Council now exploring whether more life can yet be squeezed out of the city tip.

An expansion of the city’s dump is one of several options reportedly on the table as the council works to identify where the region’s waste will wind up once Bonnick Road is full.

Also under consideration is a proposed new waste transfer station at Laurenceson Rd expected to cost $10-12 million to build.

Funding for it would be spread across several years of the council’s budget, with support from government funding and some borrowings.

A proposed waste transfer station at Laurenceson Road, Glanmire, is expected to cost up to $12 million to deliver.

Bonnick Road could be full by the end of the year; at best, without an expansion, it only has a few years left.

What would happen after that is still under scrutiny by the council.

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CEO Shane Gray said a full review of the region’s waste services was underway.

“The entire waste management decisions of this council will be based on due diligence to get it right,” Mr Gray said.

Council CEO Shane Gray says the council is reviewing its plan for the region’s waste services to ensure there are no future “surprises” for ratepayers.

“We don’t want surprises for our ratepayers.

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“It’s (their) money, we need to spend it the best way possible.

“We don’t want to commit this community to a long-term strategy that may not be fully considered.”

And with the constant shifts and advances in science, technology and legislation, Mr Gray said “there may be better solutions we haven’t explored yet”.

“We want no surprises … we want to do proper planning.”

Originally published as Gympie council considering expansion of Bonnick Road dump