Veolia to treat household waste from eight Sydney councils

Eight councils that form part of the Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) have signed an agreement with waste management company Veolia.

The long-term contract, for the treatment of household waste across their local government areas, will keep thousands of tonnes of waste away from landfill every year. The contract is expected to see up to a 60% reduction in waste to landfill across Greater Southern Sydney, setting the councils up to meet the state government target of a 66% reduction in waste diversion from landfill by 2014.

Councils will still have to pay for waste disposal, but the waste levy, carbon liability and ongoing landfill management costs will be much less. SSROC estimates that several millions of dollars will be saved in levies in the first year, which will increase each year as the waste levy rises.

A new waste transfer terminal will be built in Banksmeadow to receive the household waste from five of the participating councils: Botany Bay, Rockdale, Woollahra, Waverley and Kogarah. The new terminal will have capacity to receive more waste, enabling other councils, government agencies and commercial collectors to enter into similar agreements and further reduce waste going to landfill.

The other three participating councils - Ashfield, Burwood and Leichhardt - will utilise the existing Clyde Transfer Terminal. The two facilities will receive approximately 120,000 tonnes per annum of household waste from the contract, which will be transferred by rail within 24 hours to Veolia’s Woodlawn facility, near Goulburn, for treatment, recycling or energy recovery using innovative technology.

Veolia’s group general manager NSW, Danny Conlon, said, “The proposed Banksmeadow facility will act as a feeder site, much like the Clyde Transfer Terminal in Auburn, to divert waste away from landfill from the Southern Sydney Region.

“The waste will be transferred by rail 250 km south for treatment and recycling at our new Woodlawn Mechanical Biological Treatment facility, where it will separate organics from household waste to create compost used to rehabilitate the Woodlawn mine site.

“These facilities will be significant pieces of state infrastructure that are consistent with government’s policy of using the freight rail network for transport and the facilitation of greater resource recovery.”

Independent consultant Hyder Consulting is busy with the Banksmeadow facility environmental impact statement, which will be completed by the end of the year and submitted to the NSW Department of Planning and Infrastructure before going on public exhibition.

If approved, the Banksmeadow terminal will result in an estimated 40 new jobs for the area and 35 new jobs for Woodlawn. Both facilities are expected to be fully operational by early 2016.

SSROC President Cr John Faker said he would like to thank “all those who have worked on this project over the past three years, in particular the staff of SSROC and participating councils and also the councillors of the eight councils who have supported this important initiative”.

“This is a momentous occasion for NSW that also demonstrates how councils can work together to improve the efficiencies and effectiveness of council services, building upon the many other successful SSROC projects over recent years.”