Miles of smiles at pie shop

l CAIRNS REGION

| Isaac Colman

PIE FACE is giving Cairns and Koah another reason to smile, with the region being the first in the national rollout of their new menu.

The new additions will include tasty snacks such as freshly baked loaded fries, hash browns and real ice cream sundaes, in addition to their iconic golden baked pies, rolls, donuts, muffins and coffee made on order, first at the Cairns and Koah United service stations.

Pie Face marketing general manager Joe Yarnall said that Cairns and Koah being chosen as the first point of a rollout to potentially 300 stores was no coincidence.

“With a strong store network in Queensland, and even stronger in FNQ, we wanted to test the menu in a market we knew would love to see new and exciting product options,” he said.

“Early indications from our research tells us our customers will love having a hash brown with their barista coffee and breakfast offer, or chips and loaded fries with their pie at lunch.”

Mr Yarnall said that the new delicious menu could roll out to the rest of Australia within the next 12 months.

“There is so much more to come, from new product offers to the rollout of even more stores. We have a real opportunity here to take an Australian-owned business from strength to strength with what is truly an iconic Australian product - the humble pie.

“We continue to see a huge demand for our Pie Face range of pies, rolls and pastries and

Report: Less waste heading to landfill

Cairns Region

CAIRNS has recorded the lowest landfill rates in almost a decade and is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

But Cairns Regional Council’s 2022 State of Environment report has found that, according to the Bureau of Meteorology annual average air temperatures at the Cairns aero station have trended up by about 1°C since records began in 1942.

The report said 2021/22 was a warmer than average year, with 12 days recorded over 35°C, twice as many as the previous year, and far exceeding the average of 3.3 days per year.

our customers have been asking to complete their meal. So we answered,” he said.

In celebration of the new menu, Pie Face will be offering loads of treats and fun giveaways, including the chance to win one of four coveted silver spoons, giving the winner an entire year’s supply of sundaes.

“Higher than average ocean temperatures led to a marine heatwave in February 2022, with mass coral bleaching observed across 91 per cent of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR),” it said.

“This was the fourth such event since 2016, and the first to occur during a La Niña cycle, normally associated with cooler waters. Much of the coral is expected to recover in the absence of further heat stress.”

The report was tabled at the council’s planning and environment committee meeting on Wednesday, detailing the condition of, and the pressures on, the local natural and built environment, and the council’s response.

The 16th report recorded the first full year of operation for the $16 million Materials Recovery Facility which can handle up to 30,000 tonnes of recycling each year, and last year achieved an 81 per cent recovery rate – a 30 per cent increase on the previous facility.

Despite receiving the most waste on record at 36,239 tonnes in the 2021/22 year, the amount of waste sent to landfill was the lowest since 2013/14.

The improved landfill diversion rates mean 138 truckloads were stopped from taking waste to landfill in the past two reporting years.

The council was also able to decrease its greenhouse gas emissions by a further 7.5 per cent over the past year.

Cairns deputy mayor and committee chairman Cr Terry James said the latest report showed positive progress in how the council managed its environmental footprint.

“Council is focused on more efficient waste and resource recovery services by reducing waste to landfill, maximising resource recovery and growing the regional economy,” he said.

“We view our waste as a valuable resource which can help create new jobs and growth in the smart green economy.”

Cr Brett Moller told the meeting the council had achieved a high 65 per cent of waste being diverted from landfill and the council was one of the best performers in Queensland.

“We have an 81 per cent recovery rate, one of the highest rates in the state, and 14 per cent contamination rate,” he said.

Cr Moller said the figures for Townsville were 70 per cent and 22 per cent.

Cr Amy Eden said the report showed rising temperatures and asked if the council should declare a climate emergency.

Planning, growth and sustainability director Ed Johnson said he was not aware of any plans to do so but the council was working through its climate strategy.

Cr Eden said, as well, there were thousands of unit owners and tenants, as well as social housing occupants, who were not recycling.