Council to consider future of Rosedale landfill

Monday 30 July 2018

Wellington Shire Council will consider the future of the Rosedale Landfill in an upcoming council meeting.

Council officers have prepared a report for Council that recommends the closure of the facility as of 30 October.

The Rosedale Landfill does not currently meet a number of Environment Protection Authority (EPA) or Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) standards and also experiences very low usage.

On average, the landfill only receives 1 tonne of domestic waste per week, equivalent to around six 6x4 trailer loads, making the cost of operating the facility incredibly expensive for the community.

The landfill is unlined meaning that the risk of environmental impact is significantly increased. Further to this, the facility also has limited infrastructure to allow for the recovery of recyclables which means the majority of the waste simply goes into the landfill without being sorted and recovered for reuse.

Figures have confirmed that cost of operating the Rosedale facility is currently over $1,750 per tonne (based on total tonnes received per annum), compared to the nearby Kilmany Resource Recovery Centre which operates at around $37 per tonne.

It is important to understand that the EPA is moving towards the closure of small unlicensed landfills and Rosedale fits into this category. Due to its small size and its close proximity to the Kilmany landfill, the EPA would not grant a formal licence to continue to operate a landfill at Rosedale.

Council will consider this recommendation at its Ordinary meeting on 4 September 2018.