An update on the flood waste collection was given to the Infrastructure Committee yesterday with final figures rolling in and the total cost of clean-up estimated at around $2.9 million.
Townsville City Council staff worked with the Australian Defence Force to coordinate the flood waste collection following the unprecedented monsoon with 27,745 tonnes of waste recorded across all sites.
Infrastructure Committee Chair Cr Mark Molachino said 30,000 hours had gone into running the flood waste collection and the temporary waste sites.
“Council crews, the ADF and volunteers worked around 30,000 hours to complete the flood waste collection and operate the temporary waste sites across the city,” Cr Molachino said.
“These operations cost $2.9 million which Council is hopeful to recover from the Queensland Reconstruction Authority under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
Townsville Local Recovery and Resilience Group Chair Cr Les Walker said the recovery effort is still ongoing and Council’s waste services had played a significant role.
“In addition to the flood waste collection and temporary sites, Council waste facilities were free for domestic waste following the unprecedented monsoon,” Cr Walker said.
“Allowing this free dumping has resulted in around $1.7 million of foregone revenue.
“This is money that can now go towards repairs to homes, replacing lost items and supporting local businesses as our community continues to recover.”
Townsville Water and Waste Committee Chair Cr Russ Cook thanked Council staff for their dedication during the clean-up.
“Council crews had a sustained and huge effort to help clean up our community after the unprecedented monsoon,” Cr Cook said.
“It was physically demanding work in difficult conditions and I’d like to thank our crews for working in collaboration with the ADF and volunteers.”
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