Pre-cyclone clean up - free dumping finishes this week

To help residents prepare for cyclone season, Cook Shire waste transfer stations will be accepting all sorted domestic waste free (excluding commercial waste) during their regular opening hours from Friday, December 6 to Sunday, December 15 2019. All waste must be pre-sorted, and non-sorted waste will incur a fee. Please sort your waste into separate streams, such as household, mixed recyclables, scrap metal, furniture and whitegoods. If you're not sure how to sort your waste, or what the separate streams are, visit our waste management page.

Cooktown on Level One water restrictions

Due to ongoing dry weather, the Annan River has dropped to a level which requires Council to put Level One water restrictions in place, effective from Wednesday, December 11, 2019. To ensure everyone has adequate water, we request that those on the town water supply abide by Level One water restrictions. Level One restrictions will remain in place until the Annan River reaches a required level at the Weir. Level One restrictions will require residents to: not use sprinklers on Mondays; odd numbered houses may use sprinklers between 6am-8am and 6pm-8pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; even numbered houses may use sprinklers between 6am-8am and 6pm-8pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays; water gardens with a trigger nozzle hand-held hose only; not hose pavement. Council will be watering public spaces on a limited roster, and the Cooktown Swimming Pool and Cooktown Water Park on the waterfront will remain open as normal.

BUSHFIRE ALERT

The Cook Shire Fire Management Group is urging residents to avoid lighting any fires, including backyard fires and campfires, during the current extreme fire risk conditions. Please also be mindful of your actions and dispose of cigarettes responsibly, and avoid parking vehicles in dry grass and slashing of any kind. For bushfire safety tips, visit Council’s emergency management dashboard.