2021-04-06 Services and Organisation Committee Meeting Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                          6 APRIL 2021


The following notifications were made to the Department of Environment and Science in the reporting
period:

     Date            Incident               Actions/Comments
     14 October      Total Suspended        Visual inspections were undertaken to assess whether any
     2020            Solids Compliance      signs of environmental harm were present. The Department
                     Limit exceedance       of Environment and Science was notified. No further action
                     following 80mm of      was required and this matter was closed without any
                     intense rainfall       enforcement action.
     30 November     Total Suspended        Visual inspections were undertaken post rainfall event to
     2020            Solids Compliance      assess whether any sediment deposits on vegetation and/or
                     Limit exceedance       signs of environmental harm were present. Drains were
                     following 118mm of     cleaned of accumulated sediment and the fore-bay of the
                     rainfall over 4 days   High Efficiency Sediment basin was cleaned out. The
                                            Department of Environment and Science was notified. No
                                            further action was required and this matter was closed
                                            without any enforcement action.

No actual or potential environmental harm from landfilling operations was recorded during the
reporting period. Internal monthly environmental inspections continue to be conducted by Council’s
Environment Officer.

Environmental works within the upcoming 6 months include:
       Installation of the ring main on cell 2.2 and additional vertical wells for methane collection
        (completed).
       Design and installation of the new stormwater management plan and associated
        environmental surveys and impact assessments.
       Lake MacDonald offsets review and management assessment.
       Revision of the site Environmental Management Plan in conjunction with Cleanaway.
       Application for an amendment to the environmental authority for a second discharge location
        and associated works.
       Collaboration with Sunshine Coast University and the University of Georgia in regard to
        potential new technologies for leachate and waste management strategies.
       A review and ongoing monitoring in accordance with the Receiving Environment Monitoring
        Program.

Illegal dumping
       Waste officers issued 17 Penalty Infringement Notices (PINS) totalling $15,131 for dumping
        offences. Twelve of these PINS were for volumes of under 240 litres and five PINS were for
        volumes above 240 litres, but below 2500 litres.
       The camera surveillance program has continued at known hotspots and opportunistic dumping
        spots. Waste Section applied for and was successful in obtaining a grant of $50,000 for
        improved illegal dumping surveillance. This grant program has funded additional surveillance
        cameras and an elevated work platform for camera placement.

5.      PEOPLE
       The Manager of Waste and Environmental Health retired in December 2020 and a new
        Manager will be recruited in 2021.
       The Waste Section gained approval to expand the Environmental Officer position from a
        0.5FTE to permanent full time.

6.      FUTURE PLANNING AND A LONG TERM STRATEGY FOR WASTE
The last few years has seen the Waste Section face and overcome some significant challenges.
These include:

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