Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has awarded a tender on a $4.4 million project to vertically expand an older cell at the Toowoomba Waste Management Centre (TWMC), to meet future growth and waste disposal needs of the region.
TRC Water and Waste Committee Portfolio Leader, Councillor Nancy Sommerfield, said the Bedford Street site was a landfill site for large commercial customers and was the primary place that TRC contractors dispose of domestic wheelie bin waste.
“The Toowoomba Waste Management Centre is an important site in that almost all kerb-collected wheelie bin waste in and around Toowoomba is disposed of at Bedford Street,” Ms Sommerfield said.
“Some years ago TRC identified vertical expansion above existing and completed landfill cells as the most cost-effective and efficient method to meet our more immediate waste disposal needs and for compliance with environmental requirements.
“The overall Vertical Expansion Project is being completed in six stages over 20 years.
“This is the second stage of the expansion plan of the Bedford Street site and will provide about three years of future landfilling out of the 20 years added by the six stages.”
Ms Sommerfield said expansion to the west of the existing landfilling operation at the site has the potential to extend the life of the facility by more than 50 years.
“Maximising landfill space by vertical expansion and extension onsite to the west is far cheaper than establishing landfilling operations at a new landfill site and offers better environmental safeguards,” Ms Sommerfield said.
“As the region continues to grow, so do our waste disposal needs, and this latest Vertical Expansion Project will help TRC meet those needs.
“The further expansion of the TWMC is another milestone in Council delivering its Waste Management Strategy 2021.
“DECC Environmental will complete this next stage now which will complement the landfill gas project that is harvesting landfill gas for conversion to electricity to power Wetalla Water Treatment Plant.”
Works are expected to be completed in February 2023.
