To achieve better outcomes for our community, we will guide best practice among waste producers and operators by creating and implementing an Ipswich Waste Code of Practice in partnership with key stakeholders.

We will create and adopt a diverse range of policies and measures which we will use to: advocate for other levels of Government to deliver legislative reform, drive industry transformation, and guide Ipswich City Council to deliver best practice waste management services on behalf of our community.

We will use the full power of Council’s policy and legal instruments to drive performance improvements of waste management operations within our communities. We will monitor and enforce approval conditions with greater diligence and we will hold the State Government to account to take greater action on matters for which it is responsible.

We will advocate for and seek to ensure the orderly sequencing and proper remediation of mining voids and end-of-life sites across the Ipswich local government area, and seek for a range of alternate remediation options to be considered. Strategic sequencing will be based on infrastructure, topographical, environmental and social opportunities and constraints. We will proactively seek appropriate investment and funding to ensure community benefits are realised from site remediation.

We will actively discourage new waste industry developments in close proximity to residential areas where it is clear the development impacts will not be manageable onsite and will negatively detract from amenity. At the same time we will discourage residential encroachment in close proximity to areas designated for future industrial development.

We will lead and work collaboratively with all levels of government and SEQ Councils to transform the region’s management of waste streams from linear to a circular ‘recycle-reuse-remake’ solution to achieve an overall reduction of waste going to landfill in Ipswich.

We will investigate and progressively adopt relevant best practice waste collection and management solutions; and we will provide clear market signals and explicit benchmarks so best-practice commercial operators will invest in Ipswich with confidence.

We will seek to influence State and Commonwealth waste management policies and strategies and we will align our current and future waste management activities and attract funding so we can leverage industry development opportunities.

We will advocate for fair and equitable compensation, investment and benefits proportionate to the waste volumes processed in Ipswich from both industry and other levels of government.

Through policy intervention and industry collaboration we will ensure that all landfill and waste processing sites, once they are closed, do not leave a negative legacy impact on the city or our residents.

Benefits to Ipswich:

• Economic innovation and opportunities
• Improved environmental outcomes
• Improved residential amenity
• New employment opportunities.

If we do nothing:

• Ipswich continues to receive disproportionate amounts of waste
• Liveability and amenity increasingly impacted
• Negative environmental outcomes
• Reduced health and wellbeing outcomes.

Council adopted the Waste and Circular Economy Transformation Directive to drive best practice, collaborate with industry and government, and secure positive outcomes for the community. Since 2020, council has made significant progress in key area across the Directive including:

• Resource Recovery Strategy and a Resource Recovery Implementation Plan 2021-2031
• Resource Recovery Infrastructure Plan 2023 - including planning for two new Southern and Western Resource Recovery Centres
• Logan, Ipswich and Redland City Councils (SEQ sub-regional waste alliance) to build a regional Material Recovery Facility (MRF).
• On-demand large item kerbside collection service
• Illegal Dumping and Litter Prevention Strategy
• New draft Planning Scheme for Ipswich, Ipswich Plan 2024
• Encouraged the Queensland Government to expedite the introduction of stronger legislation Queensland Organics Strategy and Action Plan, e-Products Action Plan, and Environmental Protection Act.

As part of the implementation of this Directive, council established the Joint Taskforce with the Queensland Government to facilitate cross-government collaboration.

1. Review joint objectives with new Waste and Recycling Industry of Queensland (WRIQ) Chief Executive Officer and continue to pursue Memorandum of Understanding or equivalent with WRIQ on behalf of Council together with other actions to support industry to strive towards and achieve best practice;
2. Continue to review and develop contract specifications that drive industry best practice through council’s contracted waste operations and disposals;
3. Continue efforts towards joint implementation of the South-East Queensland Waste Management Plan;
4. Subject to its approval by council and the responsible Minister, implement Ipswich Plan 2024 and review the Resource Recovery and Waste Activity Code within 12 months of its commencement;
5. Continue proactive compliance programs with waste industry operators and consider a specific compliance resource to focus on waste issues;
6. Finalise mining void analysis with the Queensland Government with a focus on determining if there are remaining voids that are a safety risk to the community or require some form of intervention;
7. Consider introduction of incentives for circular economy industry businesses in Ipswich;
8. Investigate opportunities to use resource recovery and waste management and disposal contracts to benefit the city;
9. Work with WRIQ to advocate for a portion of waste levy revenue to be available to the Ipswich community for re-investment;
10. Continue to advocate to the Queensland Government to expedite the introduction of legislation to compel waste operators to in-vessel the composting of organic waste.