All Townsville residents affected by recent severe rainfall events are now eligible to dispose of their household disaster waste at any of the council’s waste facilities at no charge.
The Queensland town has been hit with its highest February rainfall total – 1033 millimetres – in just one week.
Ann-Maree Greaney, Acting Mayor, City of Townsville, said people across the whole Local Government Area (LGA) had been affected by the severe monsoon event.
“You don’t need to be completely inundated to have been affected by this event, people have lost items to mould, had trees come down or have lost the entire contents of their house,” Greaney said.
“So, for those who have household disaster waste, you can bring it to our waste facilities at no charge.”
As of February 8, residents have two weeks to get their flood affected waste to council waste facilities.
“We don’t want people rushing the clean-up effort, safety should be paramount, there have already been reports of people suffering snake bites, so it’s critical people are aware of their surroundings and not trudging through flood water,” said Greaney.
“There is plenty of water lying around and it’s important people know flood waters are heavily contaminated with hazards like dirt and debris and can carry harmful bacteria including those causing diseases like melioidosis and leptospirosis.”
Council waste facilities will be taking residential disaster waste at no charge from now until close of business Sunday 23 February.
Council’s Toomulla and Bluewater transfer stations are currently open outside of their normal operational days until Tuesday, 11 February 2025. Normal operational days will resume after that.
Regular domestic waste not related to the monsoon event, hazardous waste, tyres, and solar panels will be charged at current fees and charges.
For more information, www.townsville.qld.gov.au/
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