Waste Management

Domestic and commercial waste collection

Weipa Town Authority (WTA) offers a twice-weekly waste collection service for all residential premises in Weipa. 

Residents are requested to place their 240L mobile garbage bins on the kerbside by 6am each collection day. Please note that bins should not be placed within one metre of any other object. 

Bin collections occur on the following days for residential premises:

Commercial waste collection

There are two waste collection options available to commercial businesses in Weipa.

• Businesses can have their waste collected via 240L mobile garbage bins (as for residential premises). This is organised by WTA and charged through property rates.
• Businesses can enter a private agreement with the waste contractor to supply and collect skip bins (of various sizes) from their premises. WTA is not involved in these private agreements.

Weipa Landfill

Weipa’s landfill facility on Kerr Point Drive is owned by Rio Tinto, and operated by a third party contractor; Remondis – 1300 660 453. 

Note: The Weipa landfill is closed on Good Friday and Christmas Day. On these days, skip bins are provided at the gates for rubbish disposal.

Littering 

Littering in our streets and waterways affects the quality of life for everyone who lives in Weipa. Please make sure you dispose of any domestic or commercial waste properly. 

The Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 makes it an offence to litter from a motor vehicle, trailer or vessel. A Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) may be issued to the registered owner of the vehicle. 

Common types of littering activity include:

• Cigarette butts, drink bottles and fast food packaging 
• Material that falls off a trailer because it was uncovered or poorly secured
• Grass clippings swept into a gutter
• Food scraps thrown into a garden or park
• Fishing tackle
• Items left beside an overflowing bin
• Items left under your seat at a sports event
• Household goods left on the footpath in the hope that someone else will take it (with the exception of WTA’s approved Cyclone Cleanup Program)

Dangerous littering is litter that causes, or is likely to cause, harm to a person, property or the environment. This may include throwing a lit cigarette into bushland, leaving a hypodermic needle in a park, or smashing a glass bottle on the footpath.

To report a littering event from a vehicle go to the State Department of Environment and Science website. You will be required to provide the details on the incident that you witnessed including where and when it happened, the type of litter and most importantly the vehicle registration details.  

Illegal dumping

Illegal dumping is the unlawful deposit of any type of domestic, commercial or industrial waste over 200 litres (about the volume of an average wheelie bin). Common types of illegal dumping include:

• Household rubbish or garden waste being thrown over the back fence into parks or bushland
• Household goods being left on the footpath with a free sign or left outside a charity bin or shop
• Disposing of building waste (construction and demolition) in bins belonging to other businesses 
• Dropping off tyres, chemical drums and paint tins at roadside rest stops
• Driving into bushland, national parks and council reserves and dumping asbestos.

Illegal dumping attracts fines issued as penalty infringement notices (PINs).

To report an Illegal dumping event you can either:

• Complete the online report form. Ensure you take note of the following in order to report the event.

- Vehicle or vessel's registration number, make and colour.

- Time

- Date

- Location 

- Attach a photo if available, or

• Call WTA on 40309400 during business hours, or
• Complete the State DES online reporting form.

Pre Cyclone Clean Up

Each year Weipa Town Authority supports residents to clean up their gardens in preparation for the cyclone season by offering a kerb side pick up of garden waste and some other waste items. Details are advertised closer to the event. For Pre-Cyclone Cleanup information please visit our Community Events Calendar.

Plastic Bag Ban

As of the 1st of July 2018, single-use lightweight plastic shopping bags are banned from all retailers in Queensland.

With an estimated one billion lightweight single-use plastic shopping bags being used in Queensland each year, around 16 million of these enter the environment. This plastic pollution causes a significant impact including:

• Endangerment of wildlife such as sea turtles and birds
• Unsightly waterways, parks and roads
• Clogging of infrastructure and;
• Costly cleanup activities.

The ban applies to all plastic bags less than 35 microns in thickness and includes compostable, degradable and biodegradable bags. Other bags such as fresh produce (barrier) bags, garbage bags, nappy bags, dog poo bags and heavier weight single-use department plastic bags will not be affected.

The Queensland Government recommends using reusable green bags, heavy-duty plastic bags, hessian bags and reusable freezer bags instead. 

For more information, please click here to visit the Queensland Government website.