Fire ant carrier material

A Fire ant

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).

The Redcliffe transfer station does not accept soil, clean fill, manure or soil blends. 

Moreton Bay residents only:

The Upper Caboolture, 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 transfer station 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. 

Zone 2 residents visiting the Upper Caboolture transfer station (limited suburbs)

Fire ant carrier materials are only accepted at the Upper Caboolture transfer station from these Zone 2 City suburbs:

  • Bellmere
  • Caboolture
  • Caboolture South
  • Upper Caboolture
  • Morayfield
  • Burpengary
  • Burpengary East
  • Narangba
  • Deception Bay
  • Elimbah
  • Moodlu
  • Beachmere
  • Ningi
  • Wamuran

As the Upper Caboolture transfer station is located outside of the fire ant biosecurity zones, the Queensland Government has provided Biosecurity instrument permit BIP-RIFA-230132(PDF, 150KB). This BIP allows residents who reside in the listed suburbs, located within Zone 2, to use the facility.

The permit allows residents from limited Zone 2 City of Moreton Bay suburbs to move fire ant carrier materials (excluding clean fill, soil, soil blends) to the Upper Caboolture transfer station from the suburbs specified on the permit.

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

Wheelie bins

Waste facilities

Notes and conditions

  • City of Moreton Bay waste facilities will not accept fire ant carrier materials from properties inside Zones 1 and 2 that are outside of the Moreton Bay local government area.
  • Review the site-specific accepted materials and the conditions of entry before attending a Council waste facility.
  • Redcliffe transfer station does not accept soil, clean fill, manure or soil blends.
  • Commercial operators within City of Moreton Bay seeking to dispose of more than 10 cubic metres of clean fill must contact Council on (07) 3205 0555. Contact must be made at least one working day before disposal to provide information about the clean fill's source location and to obtain permission to dispose.

  • Redcliffe and Upper Caboolture transfer station does not accept soil, clean fill, manure or soil blends.

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