Banana Shire Council is the first council in Central Queensland to install Containers For Change public bin collection stations to prevent the items being landfilled and to help residents during the cost-of-living crisis.

Council has installed 75 racks on selected public bins throughout the Banana Shire, which will allow residents to place up to six Containers for Change 10 Cent items in the racks.

With a total of 6,450,396 Containers For Change items collected in Banana Shire in 2023-24, Banana Shire has one of the highest Containers For Change collection rates per head of population in Queensland.

However, during a cost-of-living crisis, there’s a minimum 2,400,000 Containers For Change items each year, equivalent to $240,000, that is still ending up in Trap Gully landfill. For this reason, Council is encouraging residents to donate their containers to community members collecting them rather than send them to landfill.

Cracow residents and sisters Julie Meads and Lynette Shapland have been collecting roadside litter including Containers For Change on Eidsvold Theodore Road between Cracow and Theodore for many years as well as undertaking clean ups on the Leichhardt Highway between Banana and Theodore.

Banana Shire Council Mayor, Nev Ferrier, recently met with Cracow sisters, to thank them for their community service. “Julie and Lyn have been collecting rubbish in Cracow, Theodore and Banana road reserves for many years. The entire community without realising are incredibly grateful for what the ladies have been doing. It’s for this reason that Banana Shire Council got behind the Containers For Change public bin collection stations so residents could choose to donate their 10 Cent containers forward to people like Julie and Lyn who are collecting them. Keeping the containers out of landfill also helps reduce landfill costs, environmental pollution and landfill carbon emissions”, said Mayor Nev Ferrier.

To thank the sisters, Banana Shire Council got together with Cracow Gold Operations (Aeris Resources), COEX (Containers For Change) and Clean Up Australia Day to present the sisters with shopping vouchers and a sun-safe hat, in appreciation of their efforts.