Armidale Regional Council seeks funding for remediation of old Guyra Landfill

Armidale Regional Council is applying for a grant from the NSW Government to remediate the old Guyra Landfill on Everett Street.

A public meeting was held on January 12, 2021, to inform residents of the planned works, and why the rehabilitation of the site is needed, following the landfill’s closure 12 years ago.

“In 2018, the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wrote to Armidale Regional Council indicating a number of concerns with the site, previously managed by the former Guyra Shire Council,” said Director of Businesses and Services Scot MacDonald.

“Landfills can potentially cause pollution risks to the environment, even after long periods of closure. In order for Armidale Regional Council to ensure there is no lasting pollution, funding is needed.”

Armidale Regional Council is hoping to secure $3,787,374 in funding as part of the NSW Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, which will go towards clearing and grubbing the site, covering and capping exposed waste, realigning and sealing the current batters, cleaning up leachate, and planting vegetation. Funding would also be used to upgrade the current Recycling and Waste Transfer Station.

“These works are all necessary to ensure the site does not pose risks to the long-term health of the environment and the catchment that supplies the drinking water for Armidale and Guyra,” said Mr MacDonald.

“Upgrading the existing Recycling and Waste Transfer Station would also be a huge benefit to the local community, with plans to install four 30m3 skip bins and improve recycling facilities, along with improving access and internal roads, perimeter fencing and landscaping.”

These plans to rehabilitate and upgrade the site depend on the success of the grant application, and due to the cost of the project, waste fees could potentially rise.

“This is not a decision Council will make lightly, however, we must do whatever it takes to protect the region’s landscape and water sources,” said Mr MacDonald.

“Community consultation will be a major part of the process, and will be an ongoing factor throughout the planning stage.”

Guyra’s Recycling and Transfer Station will continue to remain open to the public.

Published on 13 Jan 2021