Cairns Regional Council has advised residents of changes to services as a result of a major fire at the Bedminster Advanced Resource Recovery Facility.
The Portsmith Transfer Station and the Buy Back Shop were closed to prioritise safety, allow management of the fire within the waste stockpile to ensure it does not reignite, and continue to process its kerbside waste collection.
Smithfield and Gordonvale Transfer Stations will operate per regular hours; seven days a week from 8.30am to 5.15pm. The Council said it will deploy additional staff to those sites to assist with potential extra demand.
There will be no impact on kerbside waste collection. The Council also said it will continue to assess the situation and will keep the community informed of any changes to services.
It said it appreciated the community’s patience and apologised for any inconvenience.
The fire started at the Advanced Resource Recovery Facility at about 8pm last Thursday.
More than 35 firefighters from 11 crews responded to the fire and were able to contain the blaze overnight.
The fire continued to smoulder throughout day and officers from Queensland Fire Department were on site to contain it.
Cairns Regional Council said it would like to acknowledge the swift actions of the facility’s operator, Veolia, and the rapid response of emergency services, and its staff who provided support.
Residents in the smoke-affected area can find information on how to protect their health at the Queensland Health website.
The cause of the fire has yet to be announced.