The Local Authority Waste Management Action Committee Inc (LAWMAC) held it’s Annual General Meeting and quarterly General Meeting in Cooktown last week, hosted by Cook Shire Council.
It was a special occasion celebrating the organization’s 30th Anniversary with the inaugural meeting held in Cooktown in 1993 when a group of North Queensland Local Government Councils came together to discuss issues arising from their waste management services.
LAWMAC has 30 Local Government member Councils from North Burnett and Gladstone up the east Coast to Cook in the Far North and Cape York and west to Barcaldine, along with 51 Corporate Members from the Resource Recovery private sector.
President of LAWMAC and Rockhampton Regional Council’s Deputy Mayor, Cr Neil Fisher, said LAWMAC was unique as an advocacy organization to the State and Federal Governments because of the nature of its membership with Local Governments tasked with waste management as part of the essential services provided to the community and the private sector providing contracting services to deliver such to differing degrees.
Cr Fisher said a significant benefit coming from LAWMAC is the sharing of knowledge and experiences where through this sharing, solutions are identified or projects championed that collectively provide benefit.
“It’s important to understand that different Councils of size and geographical location will have different needs and challenges in resource recovery, so when Governments are shaping policy around resource recovery, they need to understand one size does not fit all,” Cr Fisher said
Cr Fisher said that the combined membership from the Local Government and Private sector in resource recovery strengthened LAWMAC’S credentials for peak body status in advising State and Federal Governments on their policy formation, projects and funding opportunities that may impact or provide benefit communities and businesses in the private sector.
“As an industry sector, we have moved from ‘Waste Management’ to ‘Resource Recovery’, recognizing the importance of diversion from landfill through recycling, reusing, repurposing and waste avoidance,” he said.
“However, hand in hand with meeting targets set by State and Federal Governments, local Council need Government’s financial support in developing secondary markets for recycling, developing waste-to-energy technologies and educating our residents and businesses through public awareness campaigns to be more responsible in dealing with household and commercial waste and reducing illegal dumping.”
At the AGM, Cr Ross Logan from Cook Shire Council, Cr Terri Boyce from Banana Shire Council and Acting Resource Recovery Manager Ms Hayley Page from Townsville City Council filled the three vacancies on the Management Committee for the 2023/2024 year.