Forming part of Australia’s leading waste recovery project, the Woodlawn Eco-precinct, located near Goulburn in southern New South Wales, the new multi-million dollar mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) facility will utilise advanced resource recovery technology, to extract organic content from mixed waste streams received from across wider Sydney, to produce compost for on-site mine rehabilitation.
The start of construction was marked by local community representatives turning the soil which will be remediated using compost produced by the MBT facility once completed.
The site currently accepts around 20% of Sydney’s putrescible waste and is recognised as an example of best practice landfill technology.
The Woodlawn MBT facility will further enhance the resource recovery capabilities of the Woodlawn Eco-precinct, through the production of compost from the organic fraction of waste; while also assisting the municipal and commercial sectors to meet the resource recovery targets, set by the NSW Government.
Ben Sullivan, NSW Group General Manager, Veolia:
The construction of the mechanical biological treatment facility is an important stage in our sustainability efforts at Woodlawn, including rehabilitating the former Woodlawn mine site. The facility supports existing source separated initiatives such as kerbside recycling, by recovering energy and resources from the residual waste stream. Veolia’s investment in sustainable activities and technologies on this site are a testament to where resource recovery in Australia can and should be headed.”
Over its operational life the Woodlawn Eco Project has taken 4.6 million tonnes of waste from across Sydney. The waste has been used to generate green electricity, and the facility now exports enough power to supply over 4000 households a year.
This new stage in the site’s operation will deliver further local environmental, social and economic benefits, such as increased renewable energy production, further rehabilitation of the former mine site, support for local community groups through the voluntarily Veolia Mulwaree Trust which has distributed more than $8 million since 2005, and an increase in local job opportunities.
- 20% Sydney’s putrescible waste
- 4.6 million tonnes of waste taken since 2004
- Green power to supply 4000 households per year