General News
29 September, 2026
Free green waste push by Mayor
CAIRNS Mayor Amy Eden will move at Wednesday’s council meeting (30 September 2026) to introduce free, year-round domestic green waste disposal across Cairns from 1 July 2027, delivering on a key commitment she took to the community during the 2024 local government election.
Under the motion, free domestic green waste disposal would begin on 1 July 2027 and be incorporated into council’s next budget at an expected annual cost of $1.35 million.
Cr Eden said year-round free domestic green waste disposal was one of the commitments she publicly put before Cairns residents before being elected Mayor in March 2024.
“I made a clear commitment during the election campaign that, if elected Mayor, I would pursue free, year-round domestic green waste disposal,” she said.
“I was subsequently elected Mayor and residents have every right to expect me to bring that commitment before Council and seek to deliver it.”
Based on council’s projected costing, the $1.35m annual cost would equate to approximately $19 per rateable property each year, or around $9.50 per six-monthly rates notice.
“For around $9.50 on each rates notice, we have an opportunity to give Cairns residents year-round access to dispose of their domestic green waste without paying at the gate,” Cr Eden said.
“For context, that is around the cost of disposing of a single medium load of domestic green waste now,” she said.
Council currently provides four designated free domestic green waste disposal periods each year. The proposal would extend that access across the entire year.
Cr Eden said the proposal was about more than convenience, with potential benefits including reducing illegal dumping, spreading demand across the year, easing congestion and queues during existing free periods, reducing associated traffic management requirements and encouraging residents to progressively maintain vegetation.
“Green waste is the largest category of illegal dumping recorded by Council. Cleaning up illegally dumped waste comes at a cost to ratepayers because it's an unplanned and consequently hard to forecast expense," she said.
“If making the right thing easier to do also helps reduce the amount of green waste being dumped illegally, that is a benefit for the whole community.”
Cr Eden said year-round access also made sense for a tropical city like Cairns where vegetation grows quickly and property preparation is an important part of readiness for seasonally severe weather.
“Council should be encouraging residents to keep vegetation under control throughout the year, particularly as we prepare for storms and cyclones," she said.
“We know the damage vegetation can cause during severe weather. It makes sense for people to cut back trees, palms and vegetation before cyclone season, not deferring this until the next free green waste window.”
Cr Eden said the proposal would also spread demand across the year rather than concentrating it into the existing free periods.
“At the moment, our free periods create pressure points at our transfer stations, particularly in the summer months," she said.
"Year-round access will help spread that workload, reduce congestion and customer wait times and reduce the need for traffic management associated with those peaks.”
Cr Eden also addressed the cost of providing the service.
“Like many council services described as ‘free’, free domestic green waste disposal means free at the point of use," she said.
"Our lagoon, libraries, Cairns Festival events and existing free green waste periods all have a cost to council, but are provided without a direct charge to residents when they use them.
“This proposal applies exactly the same principle to year-round domestic green waste disposal.”
Cr Eden said the proposal was not something she had suddenly decided to pursue.
“This isn’t new and it's not a surprise. I’ve been advocating for this since I was elected and trying to find a pathway to deliver it," she said.
“What’s different now is that I’m bringing it formally to the council table. I made the commitment, and I think the community deserves to see it put to a vote.
“I’ve spent the past two years trying to progress it through the usual channels. I haven’t been able to get it there, so now I’m putting it on the council table and asking my fellow councillors to make a decision.
“I made this commitment to the people of Cairns in 2024. I said I would pursue free, year-round domestic green waste disposal, and I am simply walking that talk.”
