Are We Approaching Peak Landfill in South East Queensland

Andrea Taft (AECOM)

Georgina Davis (The Waste to Opportunity Enterprise)

July 2015

Introduction

Is South East Queensland approaching ‘peak landfill’ or just another minor hiccup along the historical path of cheap landfill?

PEAK LANDFILL

“the hypothetical point in time when the availability of landfill (in SEQ) reaches its maximum available capacity, after which its availability/capacity will gradually decline”

South East Queensland Region

- 11 Councils (2013/2014)

- Total area of 35,000 km²

- Population >3.3 million (2014)

- Population growth of >2%

- Population >5.1 million (2036)

- 600kg per capita landfilled per annum (MSW and C&I)

- 477,000 tonnes interstate

SEQ Local Government Waste Disposal

- Majority Councils own and operate own landfills

- 14 operational engineered landfills for region

SEQ Local Government

Engineered Landfill

Approximate Year of

closure

Approximate Years until

exhaustion

1 2030 15

2 2022 7

3 2028 13

4 2019 4

5 2030 33

6 2023 8

7 2020 5

8 2023 8

9 2050 35

10 2040 25

11 2025 10

12 2045 30

13 2027 12

14 2027 12

SEQ Local Government Waste Disposal

- Pricing structure

- Landfill closures

- No new landfill planning

- Expansion of existing sites

- BCC and Ipswich largest impact with population

- Diversion strategies

- Back up…the Ipswich Region

The Ipswich Region - 40 km from Brisbane

- Fastest population growth of the SEQ region

- Resource rich (coal mining and quarries)

- ‘Rehabilitation’ of old coal mines and quarries

- 40 Mm³

- Approx. 30 years

- Increased tonnages

The Ipswich Region

- There is the potential to develop more old coal mines and quarries in the region

- Encroachment will be come an issue

- The SEQ dumping ground?

- Location and transport are barriers

The Ipswich Region - Old coal mines no longer the

straight forward conversion to landfill

- Fault zones

- Flooding

- Soils (weak, high permeability etc.)

- Mine Workings – many unknown or unmapped

- Underground Fires

SEQ Peak Landfill?

- Our view – local government in SEQ is past peak landfill

• Limited remaining capacity/cells

• No new landfill infrastructure currently in feasibility/planning

• But there is talk

- Private capacity not there yet (and may not get there subject to private investment)

• Influenced by local government planning and strategy

• Interstate waste movements

• More partnerships (private and public)

• Innovation – innovate strategies

Risks to Future Landfill Capacity

Disaster - Natural or Man-Made?

Chemical – ERAs, Oil Spills

Biological – livestock, disease outbreaks (Matthews Report)

Physical – extreme weather events

Waste Crime and Loopholes – deliberate illegitimacy

Austerity Measures – historical poor costing models for infrastructure

Risks to Future Landfill Capacity

Planning and Siting Issues Common concerns are amplified when its someone else’s waste

Securing Future Landfill Capacity

- Certainty – Federal, State and Local (role of regulation)

- Integrated planning of waste management infrastructure

• Consolidation and Rationalisation (private and public sector facilities)

• Appropriate pricing for landfill – full price costing

- Development of supporting strategies and policy objectives

• AWT/EfW

• Organics collections with accompanying market development

- Intermodal Transport

- Partnerships

Questions?

Andrea Taft

AECOM

Andrea.Taft@aecom.com.au

Dr Georgina Davis

The Waste to Opportunity

Enterprise

www.wastetoopportunity.com

georgina@wastetoopportunity.com