Toowoomba Regional Council wants feedback on design of first-of-its-kind waste transfer facility at Yarraman

The Toowoomba Regional Council is urging the community to have its say on the concept design of an upgraded waste management facility in a small community, which would be the first of its kind in the region.

Concept art for the new Yarraman waste transfer facility.

The community can provide feedback on the new design for the Yarraman waste facility until 5pm on December 11 through the council’s Your Say page.

TRC water and waste portfolio leader Cr Nancy Sommerfield said upgraded waste transfer facilities are a cleaner, neater and tidier waste solution.

“The Yarraman upgrade would see the construction of our region’s first tier four waste management facility,” she said.

“The new facility would be built on the site of the existing landfill and designed as a smaller version of the region’s state of the art flagship, the greater Toowoomba waste management facility.

“Transfer stations reduce the need for regional landfills ensuring better environmental outcomes for the community.”

Cr Sommerfield said the new design allowed waste to be stored on hard-stand pavement, and transported to landfill locations off-site, thus reducing the extent of odour, dust, and animal/rodent control required.

“Litter prevention controls would also be in place to contain windblown litter from the facility and prevent it from entering drains,” she said.

“The YourSay page contains a virtual fly-through of the proposed facility in Yarraman so residents can quickly understand the look and feel of the site.”

TRC water and waste chair Cr Rebecca Vonhoff said the TRC was planning for the long-term management of waste through its waste infrastructure plan.

“The council has 23 facilities throughout the region, which is the highest number of any local government in Queensland and many of these facilities are located in smaller populated regional communities,” Cr Vonhoff said.

“A number of our older regional landfills are reaching capacity and are not able to be upgraded due to the sites being unsuitable for future development.

“As a result, the council will replace some sites with new, modern waste transfer facilities that are convenient for each community.

“As part of our integrated waste management network, our facilities will ensure that 98 per cent of residents live within a 20-minute drive from a waste management facility.”

To have your say on the Yarraman Waste Facility upgrade go to the website or contact the council on 131 872 quoting ‘Yarraman Waste Facility’.