Blue Mountains City Council

Waste Management Facility Upgrade
Blaxland Waste Management Facility Upgrade

An aerial photo of Blaxland WMF taken in 2001.

Downloads




 

Blaxland Waste Management Facility Upgrade

Current Operations

Blaxland Waste Management Facility (WMF) currently provides the following waste disposal services to the Blue Mountains community:

 
  • Waste burial in a fully lined engineered landfill cell, including waste transferred from the Transfer Station at Katoomba WMF;
  • Separate green waste collection for chipping and recycling;
  • Separate free scrap metal collection for recycling;
  • Separate recycling collection for household recyclables, (cardboard, glass, plastic etc);
  • Secure collection of used motor oil and gas bottles for recycling;
  • Twice yearly Household Hazardous Chemical Collection; and
  • Vehicle weighing services.
 
The site is open 7 days per week and is only closed on Christmas Day and Good Friday.
 
The site operations are conducted on Council's behalf by Thiess Services under contract. Thiess have been managing the site on a day to day basis since 1992.
 
All waste is buried in Stage 1 of the Landfill extension which was constructed in 2008. Recycling of steel and green waste is managed on the old landfill area.
 
A series of photographs of the new landfill extension may be downloaded at right.
 
Environmental Improvements
 
A number of safety and environmental improvements have been implemented with the landfill extension:
  • The new landfill extension cell is fully lined. A leachate collection system is constructed within the cell. This system collects leachate and drains it to a collection point from where it is removed for safe disposal. This system is designed to protect natural groundwater from contamination.
  • Surface water is filtered through two sedimentation dams before being discharged into Cripple Creek.
  • The waste placed in the landfill area is compacted and covered with capping material daily to control odour, vermin and to prevent 'blow away litter' leaving the site. Regular litter patrols on the site are also used to manage this problem.
  • A weed control program is implemented at the site to control the spread of invasive weed species. Prevention of weed propagation is further reduced by not allowing the sale of processed green waste from the site. All mulched green waste is sold to a composting facility which composts the material in accordance with Australian Guidelines to ensure that the final commercial grade product is weed free.
  • All plant and equipment have been fitted with low frequency reverse alarms which maintain a safe workplace while reducing the impact of noise pollution on neighbouring areas.
 
Planning and Approval Process for the Blaxland WMF Landfill Extension
 
A consultant was appointed to prepare concept plans, environmental studies and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the landfill extension. The consultant also coordinated a series of community consultation and feedback events. A Land Use Application which included all this information was submitted to Council's Planning Department for approval.
 
To ensure the integrity of the approval process, a planning consultant was appointed to assess the Land Use Application and make an independent recommendation regarding the approval of the application. The formal development approval for the landfill extension was recommended to the Council and adopted at the ordinary meeting of 5 July 2005.
 

Future Site Upgrade

 
Two major projects will be carried out at BWMF over the next 3 years,
  • The site entrance upgrade
  • Landfill extension Stage 2
 
Future upgrade of the site is currently in the final planning and design phase and the work is planned to commence in late 2011. The whole contraction project will be staged over 3 years and will be complete in 2013. During construction, the site will remain open for customers at all times, however, there may be some disruption to services including proper waste charges while the weighbridge is being relocated.
The upgrade works aim to provide a higher level of service for the residents of the Blue Mountains. Improvements will include:
  • One way traffic system and separation of small and large vehicles to improve safety;
  • Sealed roads for small vehicle traffic;
  • A new gatehouse, offices and machinery sheds;
  • New undercover recycling shed with an increased range of recycling services; and
  • A reuse centre for reusable materials and items which are brought to the site for disposal.
 
The Map of Proposed Site Entrance Upgrade Works at Blaxland Waste Management Facility may be downloaded at right.
 
Construction of the second stage landfill will also be done in 2011. The first stage of the landfill extension is expected to be filled in early 2012, (lasting around 3 years). The second stage is expected to last approximately 6 years.
 
Further environmental improvements which are being included in the Stage 2 construction include:
  • Improved sediment and erosion control and stormwater quality protection
  • Ongoing groundwater protection with the new landfill lining system joined to the existing liner
  • Maintaining and improving wildlife habitat adjacent to the new landfill by retaining and relocating tree trunks which have hollows suitable for birds and mammals
  • Maintaining best practice dust control during the construction work
  • Responsible disposal of cleared vegetation as recycled mulch and compost
  • Maintaining low frequency reverse alarms on construction machinery to reduce the noise impact on residential areas
 
Why extend the landfill at Blaxland WMF?
 
If the Blue Mountains region had no landfill, all solid waste would need to be transported to landfills or alternative waste technologies located outside of the Blue Mountains local government area. The cost of transport associated with long distance waste transfer could be extremely high depending on where it is sent. In addition to these costs there would be higher disposal costs paid to the waste facility which receives the waste (up to an additional $82.20 per tonne). These additional costs would need to be met through significant increases in residential rates and gate charges. Therefore it is important that sustainable local waste management solutions and disposal options are developed within the city.
 
The development of an Alternative Waste Technology (AWT) for the Blue Mountains could offer a possible solution to divert large volumes of waste from landfill, but there is always residual waste which needs to be managed by disposal to landfill. Also, the timeframe for developing and implementing an AWT would have been too long to implement this solution before the Blue Mountains ran out of landfill space.
 
As it currently stands, the Blaxland landfill extension combined with Council's existing recycling initiatives will meet the waste disposal requirements of the Blue Mountains area for around 15- 20 years. Council are pursuing an AWT for Blue Mountains for implementation in the next 5-10 years, if this occurs the landfill extension is likely to last much longer.