A new grant is helping Tablelands Regional Council reduce the cost of transporting cardboard and plastics to the recycling facility in Brisbane, and Deputy Mayor Kevin Cardew is appreciative of the assistance.‘The recycling plant in Brisbane is our closest facility and transporting our recycling by truck is quite expensive.

‘We have a strong commitment to the diversion of waste from landfill so we normally have to foot the transport costs.

‘This $46,000 grant from the Department of Environment and Science is fully covering the recycling transport cost for 12 months.

‘In the last two weeks we sent a total of 164 bales of cardboard to Brisbane.

‘In the last quarter of the financial year, we sent a total of more than 54t of plastics south.

‘We’re hoping to transport over 500t of cardboard and plastic to Brisbane in the 12 months this funding covers.

‘Long term we’d really like to see processing plants in Far North Queensland,’ said Deputy Mayor Cardew.

Minister for Environment Leeanne Enoch said there are unique challenges to recycling and re-using waste in regional communities and this funding will assist with the cost of accessing recycling services.

‘This $6m Regional Recycling Transport Assistance Package is another way that the Palaszczuk Government is supporting regional councils, businesses and charities with the cost of transferring recyclables and creating jobs.

‘There are three times as many jobs in recycling as there are in landfill, so every initiative that helps to increase recycling is supporting more employment.

‘It will also encourage and provide support for councils in regional Queensland to divert more resources from landfill and recycle more.

‘This is a win for regional Queenslanders who can be part of the state’s war on waste and help to create long-term sustainable jobs,” Ms Enoch said.