Memorandum of Understanding - Noosa and GRC

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Noosa Council and Gympie Regional Council aims to help find efficiencies in waste management and potential cost-sharing arrangements across the two councils.
 
Noosa Council Mayor Clare Stewart and her Gympie counterpart Mayor Glen Hartwig signed the agreement last week.
 
Cr Stewart said waste management is a costly exercise for all councils.
 
“It makes economic sense to avoid duplication where we can and look to find better environmental outcomes and efficiencies,” Cr Stewart said.
 
“I am a staunch supporter of collaborating with our neighbouring councils to share knowledge and resources to find benefits for our ratepayers.
 
“This agreement provides a framework that can potentially enhance the resource recovery industry across the two councils and maximise environmental, social and economic benefits."
 
Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig said the MoU was a tangible step in being more effective in the service delivery of waste management.
 
“There are massive synergies in waste for all councils and working together can help Gympie achieve better environmental outcomes and investigate ways to deal with different aspects of waste in a collaborative way,” Cr Hartwig said.
 
The agreement focuses on the key areas of infrastructure, procurement, knowledge sharing, and potential cost-sharing arrangements in future contracts.
 
Noosa Council CEO Larry Sengstock said it’s about creating a dialogue between the two councils.
 
“This doesn’t tie either council to any firm investments, but rather solidifies an already strong relationship we have with Gympie Regional Council staff and their elected representatives,” he said.
 
Noosa Council is a member of Council of Mayors South East Queensland (CoMSEQ) who have launched a Waste Management Plan to tackle the war on waste.
 
Cr Stewart said CoMSEQ’s plan laid out a series of opportunities for SEQ councils to work together to reduce waste going to landfill.
 
“Seventy per cent of Queensland’s waste is processed through southeast Queensland, so we all have a shared ambition to find ways to improve recycling and identify resource-recovery opportunities,” Cr Stewart said.
 
Representatives from both councils will meet regularly to discuss infrastructure projects and identify ways to turn waste into a resource and divert away from landfill.