Shire to benefit from illegal dumping funding

STATE GOVERNMENT FUNDING

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Douglas Shire Council, along with Cook and Mareeba, will benefit from Queensland Government funding of $600,000 to help crack down on illegal dumping.

Member for Cook, Cynthia Lui said illegal dumping had a serious impact on the local community.
“It’s great to see this much-needed funding coming to our local councils.

“The funding includes over $450,000 that will help Mareeba Shire Council and Douglas Shire Council to employ 4.5 new illegal dumping officers, hold target programs, boost intelligence and enhance reporting on illegal dumping activities.

“Nobody wants to see rubbish dumped illegally in our beautiful environment and this grant will help to prevent that from happening,” she said.

The state government is providing a total $5 million across Queensland to help councils combat illegal dumping.

Illegal dumping costs Queensland communities millions of dollars each year, and this funding will help at a local level, to ensure a clean and safe community, while protecting the environment.

The government is also providing $1.3 million in funding to 32 councils across Queensland through a dumping hotspot program, to support regional programs that tackle illegal dumping at a local level.

There will be an additional $150,000 to Cook Shire Council, Douglas Shire Council and Mareeba Shire Council to help support local illegal dumping programs that will target illegal dumping hotspots and raise awareness through community engagement.

Councils in the Cook electorate receiving funding include:

  • Cook Shire Council is receiving $20,000 to gather baseline data on the location, waste types and scale of illegal dumping in the region to identify hotspots;
  • Douglas Shire Council and Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council will share in $84,042 to employ a new full-time officer to tackle illegal dumping and install new signs and cameras;
  • Douglas Shire Council is also receiving $22,053 to help clean-up illegal dumping hotspots and develop educational videos to help raise awareness about the impacts of illegal dumping;
  • Mareeba Shire Council, Cassowary Coast Regional Council, Tablelands Regional Council and Carpentaria Shire Council are sharing in $369,550 to help fund 3.5 new full-time-equivalent positions to tackle illegal dumping, hire new vehicles, and create and install new signage;
  • Mareeba Shire Council is also receiving $9000 to conduct community engagement and awareness through new signs, and an advertising campaign.

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