By legislation Council is required to provide a waste collection and disposal service. In recent years Council has closed the old refuse disposal sites at Goondi Bend, Bells Creek and several small community tip sites and has opened new Waste Transfer Stations at Stoters Hill and Bells Creek and a new dry waste landfill at Stoters Hill. All wet waste is now disposed of outside of the Shire.

With strong community support and participation, Council has adopted a number of waste initiatives, aimed at reducing the amount of waste for disposal with particular emphasis on a reduction of the wet waste component. These initiatives form part of Council's 4-year waste management plan.

Waste Stream Analysis

Prior to the new waste management approach in the Johnstone Shire, there was very little accurate data on the types of waste entering the Shire's waste stream. Staffed transfer stations and a weighbridge now allow this information to be collated and used for effective management.

Five categories of waste were identified as making up the Shire's total waste stream. These five categories are:

•   Wet waste - materials that constitute wet waste include putrescible items (eg food scraps, green waste), nappies, tissues, unrinsed containers, any small items that may contain a chemical (e.g. aerosols, glue).
•   Dry waste - those materials that are solid and will not emit chemicals or gases upon landfill disposal e.g. clean plastic, glass, tins, cans, cardboard, paper, timber, fabrics.
•   Recyclables -includes aluminium cans, steel, cardboard, glass, lead/zinc/copper.
•   Regulated waste - wastes accepted include oil, asbestos, batteries, tyres and chemical drums
•   Miscellaneous waste - includes car and motorbike bodies and greenwaste

Council's collection system requires segregation of waste into wet and dry waste streams which allows for the options of waste diversion, recycling, and resource recovery. The graph below summarises wet and dry waste disposal in the year 2000.