Sewage stoush: Council withdraws its water waste management

Residents have been slugged with a 50 per cent increase in their waste removal costs as Sunshine Coast Council ceases its oversight of waste services.

Residents slugged with 50 per cent increase in their waste removal costs as Sunshine Coast Council ceases their oversight of waste services.

Residents in rural areas of the Sunshine Coast have been hit with around a 50 per cent increase in their sewage waste removal costs, as the Sunshine Coast Council ceases its oversight of the service.

Councillor David Law said he was opposed to the move as it was a reduction in council services in his electorate in Mapleton.

“It was a decision 18 months ago that I was not able to stop,” he said.

He said he achieved a year-long reprieve for residents last year.

Mr Law said the move would affect around 600 households and the cost could keep climbing.

“They would be highly likely to get a better cost by going directly to the service provider,” he said

“If the council was still involved it’s quite probable the fee would have gone up even more.”

But price hikes of more than 55 per cent has left residents concerned.

Mapleton resident Roderick Faddy said his fees had increased 53 per cent.

Division 10 Councillor David Law was opposed to the council ceasing its waste removal oversight. Picture: John McCutcheon

“They’ve got you by the short and the curlies, so to speak,” he said.

A Sunshine Coast Council spokeswoman said it was “one of only two known local governments in Australia that still co-ordinated a holding tank collection service”.

“As of 9 July 2023, Council will no longer co-ordinate the liquid waste collection service on behalf of property owners with a holding tank,” she said.

“The service had a review which resulted in this change.

“The review found that the costs for council to continue to provide this service would increase considerably.”

Mr Law said he understood why this news would come as a shock.

“With any bill at the moment that increases 50 per cent is unexpected and I appreciate the difficulty that causes,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Remondis, the contractor previously employed by the council, said its price hikes were “commercially tenable“.

“Although in the open market it is not viable for us to maintain subsidised services as was the case when we were working through Council,” she said.

“We have done everything to provide services in the fairest and most commercially tenable manner.”

Originally published as Sewage stoush: Council withdraws its water waste management