Rethinking waste – there’s value in what we throw away

By Cr Belinda Hassan

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We probably don’t give much thought to our rubbish once we wheel the bin to the kerb or drive away from a waste transfer station. But managing our region’s waste is a significant and growing cost to council – and ultimately, to ratepayers.

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In 2026/27 alone, council is facing an additional $665,000 in waste service costs due to increases in the Queensland Government Waste Levy, and a reduction in the subsidy council receives towards that levy. The purpose of the levy is simple –to encourage all of us to send less waste to landfill and recover more of the resources contained within it. And that requires something of a mind shift.

We readily pay postage or delivery fees when we order something online, sometimes without giving it a second thought. Yet when the box arrives, we can be reluctant to accept that there is also a cost involved in dealing with the packaging – and eventually the product itself – when we no longer want it.

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Waste doesn't disappear simply because it leaves our property. It has to be collected, transported, sorted, recycled where possible and, as a last resort, safely disposed of in landfill. Modern landfills also require substantial infrastructure to protect our environment, including systems to manage leachate, stormwater and landfill gases.

That's why resource recovery is so important.

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Council's new operator at our waste transfer stations, Outlook Australia, brings an exciting social and environmental dimension to this challenge. Outlook operates one of Australia's largest waste management social enterprises, creating employment opportunities for people who may otherwise face barriers to entering the workforce, including people with disability, those experiencing long-term unemployment or mental health challenges, and migrant and refugee workers. In fact, more than 70 per cent of their social-enterprise staff come from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds, and profits from Refindit are reinvested into employment and training opportunities.

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Through Refindit by Outlook, items that might otherwise have ended up in landfill can instead be recovered, reused and given another life. At Paget, residents can drop off suitable pre-loved goods for assessment and, if accepted, at no charge. Those items can then be resold through the Refindit reuse shop – everything from furniture, tools and building materials to books, bikes, clothing and toys.  

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It's a great example of the circular economy in action: reducing landfill, making affordable goods available to our community and creating meaningful employment at the same time. Find them at 42 Crichtons Rd, Paget, Thursday to Sunday, from9am to 4pm. Open seven days for donations and recycling drop-off.

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We all have a role to play. Before throwing something away, ask: can I reuse it, repair it, recycle it, donate it or find someone else who can use it?

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Because the cheapest – and most sustainable – waste to manage is the waste we don't create in the first place.

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