Wednesday, December 4, 2024

$2.4m waste upgrade for Granite Belt

A $2.4 million upgrade of the Stanthorpe Waste Management Facility is set to secure waste service longevity for the Granite Belt community.

Officially opened on Friday by the Queensland Assistant Minister for Local Government, Nikki Boyd and Southern Downs Regional Council Mayor, Vic Pennisi, the facility upgrades address the need for improved resource and waste recovery opportunities for the Granite Belt following the existing Stanthorpe landfill recently reaching capacity.

The Queensland Government’s 2020-21 COVID Works for Queensland program contributed $1.7 million towards the construction of a long haul waste facility shed and gatehouse, the relocation of the existing weighbridge, and road improvements, with Council funding the balance to see the project realised.

Assistant Minister Boyd thanked Council for its supporting delivering necessary projects across the region.

“It is only through partnering with local governments and working together in this way that we unlock the potential for our great State,” Ms Boyd said.

“We have seen the success of this funding in creating jobs and putting money back into a community, and on behalf of the Queensland Government, I am pleased to say we have $1.7 million invested in this facility.

“Although people like to see new facilities built, it is the often unseen investment in waste, water and sewerage that put our communities in good stead right across Queensland.”

In welcoming the Minister to the region, Mayor Vic Pennisi said the State’s support and funding had been instrumental in maintaining the provision of local waste management on the Granite Belt.

“How our community deals with waste is not dirty business but an essential business that Council is heavily invested in sustainably providing,” Mayor Pennisi said.

“This joint initiative between Council and the Queensland Government has delivered the most cost effective waste infrastructure at the Stanthorpe Waste Management Facility to ensure the continuity of local waste service to the Granite Belt community, now and in the future.

“Sustainably managing landfill sites across the region is a significant component of our Waste Strategy and we explored and investigated many alternative options in the lead up to the Stanthorpe landfill reaching capacity.

He said upgrades to the Stanthorpe Waste Management Facility had further increased the recycling opportunities and capabilities of the facility with a drop-off and processing area to improve waste diversion and reduce the volume of waste to be transferred to landfill.

Improvements to the facility’s road network have also improved customer safety and on-site traffic flow, the Mayor said.

The Stanthorpe Waste Management Facility Upgrade project is a joint initiative of Council and the Queensland Government.

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