Fire ant carrier material
Fire ants can quickly spread due to their ability to fly, travel underground, and float on waterways after wet weather events. Since fire ants were first detected in the Brisbane area in February 2001, they have rapidly spread across South East Queensland.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has made changes to the Biosecurity Regulation 2016 to help increase awareness and stop the spread of fire ants.
What is fire ant carrier material
Materials that can carry fire ants include:
- soil
- baled hay or straw
- mulch
- manure
- quarry product and recycled aggregate
- turf
- potted plants.
Fire ant biosecurity zones
Fire ant biosecurity Zones 1 and 2 are in place to help prevent fire ants from spreading through human-assisted movement of organic materials. These materials are called fire ant carrier materials.
Fire ant biosecurity zones are reviewed monthly by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and will be updated according to new fire ant detections.
Search the fire ant biosecurity zone map to check if your property is in a fire ant biosecurity zone.
Your general biosecurity obligation
Everyone in Queensland has a general biosecurity obligation under the state’s Biosecurity Act 2014, including corporations. This is to ensure Queenslanders do not spread pests, disease, or contaminants.
We are all responsible for managing biosecurity risks, and recognising and minimising those risks in our homes, industries and community.
Under the GBO, individuals and corporations whose activities pose a biosecurity risk must:
- take all reasonable and practical steps to prevent or minimise each biosecurity risk
- minimise the likelihood of causing a biosecurity event, and limit the consequences, if such an event is caused
- prevent or minimise the harmful effects a risk could have, and to not worsen any of the harmful effects.
If you are moving fire ant carrier material, you are legally required to follow the procedures outlined in the Biosecurity Regulation 2016 before moving it offsite. These procedures help you to:
- reduce the risk of spreading fire ants
- comply with your general biosecurity obligations.
Disposing of fire ant carrier material at Council's waste facilities
Customers located outside a fire ant biosecurity zone
Council's waste facilities can accept some fire ant carrier materials from properties outside a biosecurity zone. This is subject to the type of waste accepted by the waste facility. Customers outside these zones do not need a biosecurity instrument permit (BIP).
Customers bringing material sourced from a property not located in City of Moreton Bay, will need to pay the applicable non-resident/commercial fees for disposal.
Search where to recycle or dispose for more disposal options.
Customers from Moreton Bay suburbs in Zone 2
Moreton Bay residents and commercial businesses in Zone 2 can only dispose of fire ant carrier material at:
- Dakabin waste management facility
- Bunya waste management facility
- Caboolture waste management facility
- Redcliffe transfer station (only accepts a limited amount of fire ant carrier materials as per the Redcliffe transfer station fees and charges(PDF, 55KB))
- Upper Caboolture transfer station (only accepts a limited amount of fire ant carrier materials as per the Upper Caboolture transfer station fees and charges(PDF, 73KB)).
Note: the Redcliffe and Upper Caboolture transfer stations do not accept soil, clean fill, manure or soil blends.
Moreton Bay residents only:
The Toorbul and Wamuran transfer stations do not accept soil, clean fill, manure or soil blends as per the transfer station's fees and charges.
As the Dakabin, Caboolture and Bunya waste management facilities, and Redcliffe and Upper Caboolture transfer stations are located in Zone 2, a BIP is not required for customers bringing fire ant carrier materials from City of Moreton Bay Zone 2 suburbs.
Customers from other local government areas in Zone 2
City of Moreton Bay waste facilities do not accept fire ant carrier materials from properties in Zones 1 or 2 if they are from other local government areas.
For more information on fire ant carrier materials, refer to Fire ants in Queensland.
You can also call the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries on 13 25 23.
Disposal / recycling options
Notes and conditions