Council launches kerbside disaster vegetation collection following severe weather events
Scenic Rim Regional Council will begin collecting disaster vegetation from kerbsides in the region’s north-east from Monday 29 January 2024, weather permitting, for residents impacted by the severe Christmas and New Year weather events.
Since 27 December 2023, Council and supporting disaster response agencies have worked diligently to clear disaster vegetation from the road network, road reserves, parks and open spaces across our region.
Recognising the ongoing challenges faced by many residents who are still dealing with significant amounts of disaster vegetation on their properties, Council will now begin the next phase of the region’s recovery journey by launching a large-scale clean-up operation that will assist residents with the removal of their disaster vegetation.
This announcement follows the cessation of Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) services in the Scenic Rim last week, despite Council's request for an extension of DRA services and assistance, which was not approved by the relevant funding agencies.
Council is aware that many residents in the severely impacted areas of the north-eastern part of the region, particularly Tamborine, Tamborine Mountain and surrounds, are still dealing with significant volumes of vegetation brought down by the storms.
As such, the disaster vegetation collection service will begin in the north-eastern part of the Scenic Rim. Residents in other parts of the region are asked to refrain from putting any disaster vegetation on the kerb until further advised,
The kerbside collection service is a ‘one-off collection’ for the removal of residents' disaster vegetation only.
Residents are asked to refrain from putting any general household waste on the kerb at this time as Council crews will not pick up any hard waste, general waste or mixed piles of waste during this collection.
To ensure their disaster vegetation is collected; residents are encouraged to:
· separate green waste from storm debris
· place on the kerbside only vegetation impacted by the storm or flood
· place disaster vegetation on their kerb before 29 January 2024.
Residents can continue to take their green waste to any of Council’s waste facilities for free. Those able to take their disaster vegetation to one of Council's waste and resource recovery facilities are encouraged to do so, enabling Council crews to focus on those most in need of kerbside collection.
Council recognises that a number of residents in affected areas had recently submitted forms (through Council) requesting assistance from DRA for the removal of disaster vegetation from their properties. With DRA no longer in the region, Council will be contacting these residents regarding their recovery clean-up efforts.
Weather permitting, Council will commence the collection of disaster vegetation from Monday 29 January 2024. Without knowing the extent of the collection services required, Council is unable to provide a timeframe for completion of the disaster vegetation collection (Phase 1). Progress updates will be issued throughout the delivery of the service.
With more severe weather predicted to impact the region in coming days, Council is conscious that rain could potentially impact people’s ability to safely move their disaster vegetation to the kerb by 29 January 2024. Council will continue to monitor impending weather conditions for the region across the coming days and will provide a further update if necessary.
A comprehensive rollout schedule of the disaster vegetation collection will be released in coming days.
With Council’s disaster management response firmly focused on recovery, Council has assembled a team of dedicated specialists to coordinate the monumental clean-up operation, including the removal of disaster vegetation, managing funding streams and building community resilience.
This specialist team will be working from the new Scenic Rim Community Recovery Hub to be located in the building next to the new Tamborine Mountain Library.
Council is committed to continuing to support the community in the recovery of our region, and asks for its support, understanding, and patience as the clean-up and recovery works continue.