Expression of Interest - Disposal of Surplus Fill

Cairns Regional Council is actively seeking to reduce the amount of waste it sends to landfill. Reducing landfill is environmentally responsible and saves money.

Free disposal of surplus fill

Excavated material from work sites is one of the highest volumes of waste that Council sends to landfill. This material is often referred to as ‘clean earth’ or ‘clean fill’, however it does not always meet the Queensland Governments definition of ‘clean earth’ as it may contain inert construction materials (such as concrete, ceramics, bricks etc.), or some organic materials (grass, topsoil, etc).

For that reason, Council refers to excavated material that is suitable for reuse or recycling, as ‘surplus fill’.

To help dispose of surplus fill in the most appropriate way, Council has developed an Expression of Interest (EOI) process where a person can request to be placed on a register for the free delivery of fill.

This webpage provides some relevant information for those who are interested in receiving fill.

Surplus Fill Register

Property owners or their agents can submit an application to be placed on a Surplus Fill Register.

Once verified and approved, Council staff will use the register to identify the most suitable applicant (by material type and proximity to the work site). The property owner will be contacted to confirm arrangements for Council to deliver the surplus fill at no cost.

Who can register for surplus fill?

A person who is the registered owner of a property within Council’s local government area (or otherwise has the consent of the registered owner) may register to be considered to receive free delivery of surplus fill.

In addition to being the registered owner of the property, the person must also hold a valid Development Approval, Operational Works Permit or be eligible for an exemption under Cairns Plan 2016 (more commonly referred to as Council’s planning scheme) for the use and/or storage of the foreshadowed fill in order to be able to be placed on the register.

Council will not consider delivering surplus fill to a location outside of its local government area.

What type of fill is available?

Council will not be undertaking any testing, sampling or analysis of the fill.  The types of fill that will generally be available are:

• Structural fill – this typically contains recycled concrete, sand, gravel, asphalt, clay
• Non-structural fill – this typically contains top-soil, organics, silt
• Builders’ rubble – this typically contains concrete, brick, stone, clay, soil, sand, timber, steel
• Profiling – this typically contains recycled road base and asphalt
• Rock fill – this is mostly made up of rock and stone variations.

How much fill can I register for?

There is no maximum limit on how much fill you can register for, however Council will only consider EOIs greater than 50m3. As such, a current Operational Works Permit or documented Exemption must be provided at the time of applying.

A person can register for the potential delivery of surplus fill by completing the relevant form (below) and providing Council with references to required documents. Register now.

What happens after I register?

If Council identifies that surplus fill may be delivered to a person on the register, Council will contact that person to arrange a site inspection before the delivery to ensure that the fill can be safely and legally delivered to the relevant address.

If Council decides that surplus fill can be delivered, the person on the register will receive a Deed of Gift about the supply of the surplus fill.

The Deed of Gift needs to be completed and submitted to Council before delivery.

View a copy of the terms and conditions ( PDF, 0.12 MB ) regarding the supply of the fill, albeit these terms and conditions are subject to change.

Am I guaranteed to receive fill after registering?

No.  Council is under no obligation to provide surplus fill to a person.  Being placed on the register for surplus fill does not mean you will receive the requested fill.

The delivery of any surplus fill is completely within Council’s discretion.

Enquiries

Contact the Cairns Infrastructure and Assets Business Support Team on 1300 692 247 or email CIAsupport@cairns.qld.gov.au