For councils
The levy zone includes 39 out of 77 local government areas. This covers around 90 per cent of Queensland’s population and is where the majority of waste is generated and disposed.
Annual payments
To ensure that the waste levy has no direct impact on households, the Queensland Government provides councils which dispose of household waste in the levy zone with an annual advance payment. Queensland is the only Australian state to provide this payment.
The annual payment covers municipal solid waste generated in a local government area that is delivered to a waste disposal site in the levy zone. Municipal solid waste includes household kerbside collected waste (i.e. wheelie bins), domestic self-haul waste and waste from litter bins, street sweepings and public place maintenance.
The amounts for these payments are set out on an annual basis in the regulation. See further advice for councils on advanced payment accounting method. A total of 43 councils are eligible for the advance payments—39 located inside the levy zone and four (Cook, Wujal Wujal, Yarrabah and Palm Island councils) located outside of the levy zone, but which dispose of their waste in the levy zone.
Councils are also provided with a supplementary payment to offset the direct cost of the levy for most households with a council commercial waste collection service. This may include caravan parks, manufactured home parks, retirement villages, boarding houses, gated communities and rural residents.
To provide councils with the ability to improve their forward budget planning and make decisions about introducing new waste services and infrastructure, all eligible local governments have received lump sum annual payments covering four financial years from 2022–23 to 2025–26.
Annual payments to councils will be reviewed again in 2025.
Annual payment calculations
The annual payment amount for the following councils reduces year-on-year, calculated using a baseline tonnage of each councils’ annual average levyable municipal solid waste disposed to landfill in 2019–20 and 2020–21 until 20% of the baseline is reached:
- councils in the metro zone
- regional councils in Bundaberg, Cairns, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton and Townsville.
The annual payment for all other eligible councils will continue at 100%, calculated using a baseline tonnage of each councils’ annual average levyable municipal solid waste disposed to landfill in 2019–20 and 2020–21.
Levy zone | Annual payments percentage | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022‑23 | 2023‑24 | 2024‑25 | 2025‑26 | 2026‑27 | 2027‑28 | 2028‑29 | 2029‑30 | 2030‑31 | |
Metro and regional councils in Bundaberg, Cairns, Fraser Coast, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton and Townsville | 105% | 95% | 85% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% |
Regional | 105% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Household Waste Payment Scheme
For the small proportion of households that are not be covered by the supplementary payments to council, proprietors of eligible households can apply for assistance under the Household Waste Payment Scheme. Eligible households have either a private commercial waste collection service, or a council commercial waste collection service where the premise is a mix of residential and commercial uses (e.g. a block of flats with shops at the bottom).
More information or to apply: Household Waste Payment Scheme.