We, the undersigned residents and ratepayers of Millmerran and surrounding rural communities, call on Toowoomba Regional Council to immediately reverse its decision to remove all six rural waste bin stations in our region.

For many of us, these bin stations are the only service Council currently provides. We have no kerbside collection, no postal delivery, no town water, no public transport, and no street lighting. Yet we are still expected to pay full rates - and now, even more in future with a 10% rates increase recently announced.

TRC says this cut will save $125,000 a year. That’s just $139 per person, while we each pay $1,000 or more in rates annually — and receive almost nothing in return.

Removing the bins will force residents to:

• Drive a 50-60km round trip to the Millmerran dump
• Try to access a dump open just 22 hours per week, with no evenings and multiple closed weekdays
• Pay out of pocket in time, fuel, and vehicle wear, just to dispose of basic rubbish - a service that other residents across the region have collected from their kerb every week.

This decision will hit rural residents hardest:

• Elderly, low-income, or single-vehicle households will struggle to make the trip
• Residents working 12-hour shift work will find it nearly impossible to access the facility during open hours
• The decision increases the risk of illegal dumping or backyard burning, raising serious fire safety concerns in a region already prone to bushfires

This isn’t a cost-saving measure - it’s a service cut that punishes rural communities while offering no replacement, no support, and no meaningful consultation.

Meanwhile, TRC is receiving $5.48 million in State Waste Levy offset funding - but none of it appears to be supporting the very people now losing services.

We demand that Council:

1. Immediately halt the bin station removals
2. Re-engage with the community to find a fair and workable solution
3. Use existing ratepayer funds and State Waste Levy offset support to maintain this essential service

This is about fairness. Rural residents deserve basic waste access - just like every other ratepayer in the region.