WASTE INFO
Dear editor,
Sunshine Coast Division 9 Councillor, Maria Suarez, is asking for feedback by 2 March, [p4 “Coolum Advertiser” 11 Feb] for a proposal for an alternative to waste bins, to include only organic food waste and grass clippings, in a new proposed bin. Residents already have a waste bin, a recycling bin, some with green waste bins; now another?
This suggestion for another bin is preposterous! We pay extra in our rates for any alternate or additional bins we also must buy, apart from waste and recycling. Two bins, two trucks, two trips, as it always has been, apart from previous decades where one bin sufficed, is not enough? Who then pays for extra trips and trucks for a few limited green waste bins and maybe now a food waste bin? Up to four bins is a bridge too far.
Single person households find it a challenge to fill even one bin weekly, especially if that household uses a compost bin for food waste. Recycling can be cut to monthly, if there is a reduction in recyclables brought into the house. Wisdom in our shopping habits, taking our own bags, means a reduction in our yellow bin waste. Households are now even more aware of the risk to the environment of our old waste deposit habits. Many have caught the recycling bug, “Containers for Change” to reduce the yellow bin waste.
Our residents are getting smarter. Waste reduction is a global dilemma. We must all play a part in our little corner of the world. Future generations need to know we took this seriously and responsibly. We need to act smarter not harder, for the planet’s sake!
E. Rowe,
Marcoola.
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FERAL CATS
Dar editor,
The federal member for Fairfax, Ted O’Brien, recently released a report titled “Tackling the feral cat pandemic: a plan to save Australian wildlife”.
The 132 page report contains some disturbing statistics from the Threatened Species Recovery Hub includingg that, “On average a single feral cat in the bush kills about 370 invertebrates, 44 frogs, 225 reptiles, 130 birds and 390 mammals per year”… “Pet cats collectively kill some 1 million animals per day”. Whilst the CSIRO said “feral cats are increasingly the final nail in the coffin of some endangered vertebrate species rather than the original driver of decline”.
The report also goes on to talk about the carnage to wildlife caused by ‘stray and domestic’ cats and how the various states have differing definitions of feral, stray and domestic cats and how local government has an important role to play.
I would suggest we put a dollar value on this loss. Suppose we give each creature lost a value of $1, one feral cat causes a loss of $1,159 per year. Given that it is estimated that there are some 2.8 million feral cats in Australia, that is a staggering $3,245.2 million. If strays and domestic cats were included, the figure would be much greater.
Responsible cat owners should not allow domestic cats to run free and people should not feed stray cats.
Ed Hammet,
Mt Coolum.
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CLIMATE EMISSIONS
Dear editor,
A technological innovation for ‘Team Australia’ to showcase at the Glasgow Climate Conference 2020? Inspired by past centuries, treadmills, using unemployed people will generate low emissions electricity, 24/7. Thoughts and Praise?
Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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YAROOMBA REVELATIONS
Dear editor,
When S.S.C. council voted on the Sekisui Yaroomba development proposal on June 21, 2018 the resultant outcome of 6:5 IN FAVOUR was totally unexpected given that the prior council vote was 10:1 AGAINST (same town plan, same issues, same site) and more than 9,300 submissions opposing the development were received by council prior to the 2018 vote.
Notwithstanding, some of the councilors back-flipped (3 of the 6 who voted in favour are no longer in council) and Mayor Jamieson voted after conceding that he may have a conflict of interest, it has now been revealed from an explosive document drop by council that the council’s principal development planner was set to recommend REFUSAL of the project just days before the crucial vote. The same document has also raised a myriad of other apparent inconsistencies, which need to be addressed plus there needs to be disclosure of council’s financial involvement in favour of the developer at rate payers expense.
Regardless of the outcome of the pending Supreme Court hearing, these latest revelations again highlight the need for an independent enquiry to establish if “due process” was followed with the approval process?
Richard Payne,
Yaroomba Beach.