Information on New Waste Fees and Charges – Gladstone Regional Council

Living Here

New Waste Fees and Charges

In summary

In 2023/24, Gladstone Regional Council managed 16,000 tonnes of green organic waste at a cost of $530,000, with commercial fees covering only $100,000.
The Queensland Government’s Waste Levy Fee is $94/tonne – this levy aims to reduce waste to landfill. By grinding our green waste, GRC is preventing green waste from going to landfill at a significantly reduced cost to the community. In 2023/24, GRC’s total deficit for green waste minus commercial income was $430,000.
GRC introduced the $5 green organic waste drop-off fee to help cover rising costs. This is a user-pays model designed to balance costs.
The user-pays model means that people who use our Waste Facilities regularly are required to pay the $5 fee, which helps to reduce the burden on others who might not visit our Waste Facilities.
Mulch is still free with no loading fee at the Benaraby Landfill and Gladstone Transfer Station. To assist with yard clean-up, Council has implemented a two-week window for residents to dispose of up to 500kg of uncontaminated green waste for FREE from Saturday, 3 May to Sunday, 18 May 2025 at the Benaraby Landfill, Gladstone and Agnes Waste Transfer Stations. The $5 green organic waste drop-off fee applies at other Waste Facilities.
Several other services are free, and you will not be charged for up to 15 other recyclable items at Council’s Waste Facilities.

The fee for green organics and general waste applied from Monday 21 October 2025.

Waste Management in Gladstone Region: What You Need to Know

Our waste management services are guided by the Qld Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 and the Qld Waste Management Strategy 2019. These rules help reduce waste, encourage recycling, and make sure waste is handled properly. To encourage this, the Queensland Government introduced a waste levy (or fee) in 2019 charging $94 per tonne for anything that goes to landfill. This helps divert waste away from landfill, prolonging the life of the landfill and encouraging better recycling behaviours.

Green Organic Waste in Gladstone Region

Currently, Gladstone Region residents can take their green organic waste (like grass clippings and branches) to Council waste facilities. It’s important to not put green organics in your general waste or yellow recycling bins as they are a resource that is processed into mulch and offered back to the community for free at various times of the year, in addition to avoiding waste levy costs. In the yellow recycling bin, green organics contaminate the items, making it harder to recycle.

Managing and processing green organic waste costs money to ensure that it does not go to landfill. In 2023/24, Council managed 16,000 tonnes with costs over $530,000 for transport ($100,000) and grinding ($430,000). Sending 16,000 tonnes of green organic waste to landfill as an alternative would cost the community over $1.5 million dollars annually just in waste levy fees, in addition to transport and landfill costs. In 2023/24, there were 58,000 free domestic green organic waste drop-offs. Currently, only commercial customers pay a fee which generates approximately $100,000 per year, from 9,000 commercial transactions.

To help cover rising costs, the 2024/25 Budget has introduced a $5 fee for green organic waste dropoff for customers who utilise this service. This new fee won’t cover all costs but will help close the gap. The new fee aims to balance the costs, is user-pays based, while also providing processed mulch that will still be free for domestic customers at certain sites.

From Saturday, 3 May, to Sunday, 18 May 2025, residents will have a two-week window to dispose of up to 500kg of uncontaminated green waste for FREE at the Benaraby Landfill, Gladstone and Agnes Waste Transfer Stations. The $5 fee will still apply at other Transfer Stations.
Uncontaminated green waste includes grass clippings, leaves, small branches, palm fronds and garden trimmings. Residents are urged to avoid mixing invasive weeds and contaminants that can harm our local ecosystems. Invasive weeds include Leucaena, Rubber Vine, African Tulip Tree, Groundsel Bush, GRT, Mother of Millions, Parthenium. More information
There will be additional free green organic waste disposal periods in the 2025/26 financial year.
Green waste taken to waste facilities will be mulched and offered FREE to residents when available, at Benaraby Landfill, Gladstone and Agnes Waste Transfer Stations.
No fee for council loading at Benaraby Landfill and Gladstone Waste Transfer Station.
Agnes Water Transfer Station is self-load only. When mulch is available.

Council also encourages residents to save, sort and recycle to avoid additional costs. To promote recycling opportunities in the region, several other services are still free, and users will not be charged to present up to 15 other items at Council’s Waste Facilities. There are links to specialised recycling services which can be found on our website. Everything that is placed in the yellow recycling bin is recovered, transported and processed at a Materials Recovery Facility located on the Sunshine Coast.

Future plans for Green Organic Waste

Green organic waste is a challenge for Central Queensland Councils, including Gladstone. To address this, a Regional Waste Management Plan has been developed and a possible future solution is the introduction of a third bin for green organic waste and the introduction of composting processing to create a higher quality product. Council completed an initial organics business case in 2022 with community consultation and surmised that an additional bin will help reduce waste going into landfill while retaining green organics as a resource. A future decision regarding this service is being progressed through collaborative work as part of the Regional Waste Management Plan supported by the Qld State Government.

Free recycling items

Domestic disposal of the following items is free at all Transfer Stations and Benaraby Landfill (unless otherwise indicated). Conditions apply. More information on waste disposal

In general:

Asbestos
- Accepted at Gladstone Transfer Station and Benaraby Landfill
Automotive batteries
Car bodies
- Tyres and oil removed
- Accepted at Benaraby Landfill
Cardboard
Clean concrete
Cooking oil
Co-mingled
- Paper, Plastic 1,2 4, 5, Glass bottles, Steel and Metal cans
Engine oil
E-waste
Gas cylinders
- Up to 9kg
Mattresses
- Disassembled
Paint
Scrap metal
Timber
- Clean
White goods
- Excluding air conditioners, fridges and freezers

FAQs: Waste Levy Management in Gladstone

What is the Queensland Waste Levy?

The Queensland Waste Levy is a fee introduced in 2019 to encourage recycling and reduce waste going to landfill. Currently, the levy is set at $94 per tonne for anything that ends up in landfill. And will increase with AIR (Annual Indexation Rate) annually. The levy is part of the state waste strategy to encourage Queenslanders to reduce, reuse and recycle, only sending waste to landfill if it cannot be recovered.

The waste levy aims to:

Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill
Encourage waste avoidance
Provide a source of funding to enable better resource recovery practices
Provide certainty and security of feedstocks for advanced technology
Facilitate industry investment in resource recovery infrastructure.

Why do we need a waste levy?

The amount of waste that we generate in Queensland is increasing faster than our population. On top of this, we are currently only recycling 45 per cent of the waste that we produce, sending the rest (nearly 6 million tonnes in 2017-18) to landfill.

While the levy generates revenue, this is largely directed toward resource recovery initiatives and supporting the infrastructure needed for waste reduction strategies. Councils typically recover the costs associated with capping and rehabilitating landfill sites through their own fees and charges, separate from the levy itself.

Queensland was the only Australian State without a waste levy. We are also sending more than half of our waste to landfill in Queensland. The levy is about reducing waste to landfill and increasing recycling and resource recovery. Find out more.

What types of waste are exempt from the levy?

Waste received as part of charity donations that cannot practicably be re-used, recycled or sold
Litter and illegally dumped waste which is collected as part of an organised community clean up activity
Earth contaminated with a hazardous contaminant from land listed on the environmental management register or contaminated land register
Waste necessary for the operation of the leviable waste disposal site (subject to approval) such as for building infrastructure, temporary or daily cover, progressive or final capping, batter construction, profiling and site rehabilitation.

Who pays the levy?

All waste going to landfill in Queensland will incur the relevant levy rate unless the waste is both generated and disposed of in the non-levy zone. There are exemptions for some specific types of waste, such as waste that results from a declared disaster and for operational uses at a landfill.

Where can I find more information about the Queensland Waste Levy and waste management rules?

Find more information about the Queensland Waste Levy and waste management rules.