The Ti Tree Bioenergy facility was established in 2002 in the suburb of Willowbank. In 2010, as a condition of the development approval at that time, it was determined that Ipswich City Council would receive annual payments of $120,000 plus a charge per tonne of waste processed above a specified amount. These funds were legally required to be used by council expressly on projects that delivered community and environmental benefit to offset any impacts from the facility. The operators of the waste facility have always maintained their enthusiasm in helping or contributing to the local community using these funds. At the time this was a unique arrangement in Queensland for a waste management facility working with a council.
On 25 February 2020 Council repealed a number of previous decisions concerning how Ti Tree Bioenergy payments were allocated and distributed, including the $5000 payment to the Willowbank Area Group. A new governance and management framework was developed, focused on improved reporting processes and transparency. The framework included assessment criteria for proposed community projects to provide a clear and rigorous process for approving projects and ensuring they provide the required community and environmental benefits.
Projects are prioritised based on how well they meet the intent of the funding and this includes proximity and linkage to the perceived or real impacts of the Ti Tree facility. A working group was also formed, tasked with assessing and prioritising project proposals, and ensuring approved projects align with the intent of the funding.
The below data outlines the project revenue and project delivery costs associated with Ti Tree Bioenergy funding. The data is updated annually, with the next scheduled update for end of 2025.
Please note: During the governance review and since 2017-2018 financial year, whilst Ipswich City Council was under administration, contributions from Ti Tree were accrued.
The graphs are interactive, so hover your mouse or click on data to see more information. You can also click the arrows < > at the bottom of the dashboard to explore the data in depth, or click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the dashboard to see data in full-screen mode.
The projects outlined below are made possible through the Ti Tree Bioenergy funding.
The projects are selected for completion based on eligibility and assessment criteria that demonstrates community and environmental improvement outcomes, including:
Click on the interactive map to view completed, current and newly approved projects across Ipswich. Each project listed is made possible through the Ti Tree Bioenergy funding. Be sure to click the Legend in the left corner of the map to view a complete list of projects or to explore a specific project.
Under a new process, community projects can be proposed by the Ipswich community through an open consultation period on Council’s Shape Your Ipswich platform. These proposals will then be assessed, ranked and reviewed by the local community group and the divisional councillors. Future budgets will be determined and proposed as part of the annual project prioritisation process and presented to Council for consideration.
