Waste and recycling

Pressures

Waste generation and disposal typically has significant social, economic and environmental impacts within the municipality and across the supply chain. Council receives waste at four major facilities. Three smaller private waste disposal facilities also operate in the Cairns LGA, but their data have not been included here - Only domestic waste tonnes received by Council are included in this report.

A total of 99,945 tonnes of waste was received by Council in 2020/21, an increase of 4.6% on the previous year. Despite this recent increase, however, a wider view of the data reveals the Cairns residential population has increased by 6.5% since 2013/14, indicating a 3.3% reduction in waste generated per person over the longer term.

Council receives waste primarily through kerbside collected waste and recycling bins and through the transfer station network. The overall resource recovery rate (diversion from landfill) was 63%, an increase of 3% from the previous year.

Regular audits are conducted to track kerbside waste and recycling bin composition.  These audits show that across the Cairns LGA the amount of recycling placed in residents waste bins was greater than the amount that is placed in the recycling bins. Approximately 9,000 tonnes of recycling is incorrectly placed in waste bins and sent to landfill each year.