Numbers show people have used periods of isolation and travel restrictions to Spring clean their homes and to do more gardening.
From January 1 until November 30, there were more than 325,000 trips to one of council’s five tips, about 10% up on the same period in 2019.
Garden centres are noticing more people shopping locally for plants and other garden equipment.
And the queues at the city’s five tips are on the rise, something council officers say will only get worse over Christmas.
Despite closing as a nursery two years ago, part-time gardener Jack Trotter (pictured) at Logan Village’s Green Frog Hollow has noticed a rise in the number of hobby gardeners.
Mr Trotter said people at the garden surrounds and restaurant were tapping him on the shoulder for tips more than he’d seen before.
“Because of Covid, they’re at home, and I’ve definitely seen longer queues at the dumps,” he said. “People have become way more interested.”
Mr Trotter also said the nature of queries indicated there were more hobby gardeners, asking about fertilisers, where to put certain plants, and how to water different varieties.
The onset of lime-top bins for green waste next year means a decision on the future of tip vouchers is yet to by made by Logan City Council.
Four tip vouchers were sent out with the July rates notice. Council representatives have pointed to the pandemic for a delay in delivery of the city’s budget, and consequently a delay in the delivery of tip vouchers.
During the 2019-20 year, about 20% of almost 425,000 tip vouchers were redeemed, proving a high demand for the service.
In the four months since this year’s batch of 423,720 vouchers were issued, about 29,000 have been used.
Some people have said tip vouchers did not arrive in August, but council says anybody who didn’t get tip vouchers should call the customer service centre on 3412 3412 for the problem to be fixed.
“Landlords and managing agents are encouraged to pass on the provided waste vouchers to their tenants,” a council representative said.
“Council is currently considering options for waste voucher distribution for the 2021/2022 financial year.”
Logan has waste and recycling facilities at Browns Plains, Carbrook, Logan Village, Greenbank and Beenleigh. They’re all expecting a rush over the Christmas and New Year holiday period when they are at their busiest.
To avoid queues and delays, people are encouraged to visit the facilities either before 10am or after 3pm on a weekday.
