Queenslanders back recycling but want to #BinTheTax, polling shows

Published on 18 August 2025

Queensland communities are near unanimous in their support of reducing waste and increasing recycling but the majority say they don’t want their rubbish bins taxed to do it.

Exclusive polling conducted for the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) shows nearly seven out 10 Queensland residents oppose households being slugged with a levy on the rubbish in their bins when the state government is collecting hundreds of millions of dollars each year from its waste levy.

The findings from the poll conducted across Queensland give strength to the LGAQ and councils’ calls for the State Government to dump the ‘bin tax’ being applied to households across 19 council areas while it conducts its waste review.

“These statistics show that although Queenslanders are in near unanimous support of reducing waste and increasing recycling but the majority do not support household waste being taxed to achieve it,” LGAQ Chief Executive Officer Alison Smith said.

“Councils and communities are speaking with one voice – bin the tax.

“Residents don’t want councils to be forced to choose between passing the bin tax cost on to ratepayers, or having less money for council services like parks, libraries and community facilities.”

Key insights:

• There is broad support across Queensland for the State Government’s plan to reduce waste and increase recycling, with nearly 9 in 10 residents (88 per cent) in favour. 
• However, approximately 7 in 10 residents (68 per cent) believe that households should not pay a levy on the amount of waste in their bins.
• 91 per cent of residents statewide agreed the State Government should be doing more to reduce landfill waste in their communities.

The LGAQ launched its #BinTheTax campaign after the several million Queenslanders from Far North Queensland to the Gold Coast faced being slugged with a State Government bin tax from July 1.

From July 1, millions of Queenslanders will be forced to pay a state waste levy – a bin tax - for the waste they send to landfill.

Some councils are already being slugged with the bin tax while others will join them from July 1, because councils in waste levy zones will no longer receive the 100 per cent offset which has previously been paid by the state. 

That offset has been paid to councils in order to prevent the levy being applied to household bins.

Across Queensland, the 19 councils and their communities face an almost $30 million reduction in offset payments from July 1 are: Brisbane City Council, Bundaberg Regional Council, Cairns Regional Council, Gladstone Regional Council, Gold Coast City Council, Ipswich City Council, Logan City Council, Mackay Regional Council, Noosa Shire Council, Scenic Rim Regional Council, Sunshine Coast Regional Council, Toowoomba Regional Council, Townsville City Council, Somerset Regional Council, Moreton Bay City Council, Redland City Council, Rockhampton Regional Council, Lockyer Valley Regional Council, and Fraser Coast Regional Council. 

“The waste levy is part of the State Government’s plan to reduce the amount of rubbish sent to landfill and to increase recycling,” Ms Smith said.

"However, when the former State Government first introduced plans to reduce the levy offset paid to councils, it made two promises – ensuring the levy has no direct impact on households, and that a $2.1 billion investment into recycling options and other markets for kerbside waste occurs to ensure households had the options they needed to divert waste out of their bins in order to avoid the tax.

“That investment and those options are not in place, meaning households don’t have appropriate waste diversion opportunities,” she said.

This financial year the recent State Budget shows an estimated $477 million in revenue will be generated by the state government from the waste levy.

“Councils are calling for a reset,” Ms Smith said.

"We welcome the launch of a new Queensland Waste Strategy that is currently out for public consultation, but we are calling for a pause on any reduction to the waste levy offset payments to councils until this review is completed." 

The LGAQ Bin the Tax campaign has been spearheaded by Queensland’s iconic and ironic waste expert, Chooky the Bin Chicken, and has been joined by other members of his flock calling for the State Government to “Bin the Tax”.

For the latest characters, images and video from the LGAQ’s Bin the Tax campaign, click here.

Quotes from Queensland mayors

Please attribute to Gladstone Mayor and LGAQ President Matt Burnett:

“Councils are proud to deliver smart, sustainable options to help residents reduce their waste, but we need more investment in this area, so we're calling on the Queensland Government to bin the tax until the full review of the waste strategy is done.”

Please attribute to Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams:

“We need to work with the State Government on ways to divert waste from landfill but look at new technologies as well, not by introducing a tax, but by working with councils to look at ways that we can both work on the same outcome by reducing waste to landfills and improving our environment.”

Please attribute to Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour:

“This unfair multi-million dollar tax on our community is hurting our residents.

“It is taking money from what could be spent on parks, roads and libraries.

“It is unfair and discriminatory the way it impacts communities like ours and a community that has done everything it can to reduce what's going to landfill.”

Please attribute to City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery:

“We brought in our green waste bins, our GO bins in December last year.

“We've rolled that program out through our urban areas.

“There's been a huge take up of it and the community is very supportive.

“We want to now go to the next step of food organics being added to that as well.

“That's a huge investment that we need support from the State Government on with the technology and the billions of dollars needed to set these kinds of industries up.

“We can't hit those targets being set for us unless we have that support and the commitment from the State Government to go on this journey with us.”

Please attribute to Toowoomba Deputy Mayor Rebecca Vonhoff:

“This is a space that people really feel passionately about, that council feels really passionately about.

“There's really a lot of opportunities, but we've got to think long term and what actually makes sense with reducing landfill, increasing our recycling rates and then how we process what is recycled for maximum benefit because the community cares about this and this isn't a short-term play.

“I have children who write me letters regularly and they are asking questions about the environment, what the community is going to look like years and years from now.

“We have a responsibility to make sure that we're doing right by them.”