Media Release

The Waste Management Association of Australia (WMAA) announced the winners of the 2017 National Landfill & Transfer Stations Innovation and Excellence Awards at the 2017 Australian Landfill & Transfer Stations Conference.

The awards were established by WMAA in 2007 to showcase the best that landfills and transfer stations have to offer, with the aim of commending sites that are exceptional, and encourage best practice in operations.

The awards were judged according to a specific set of criteria by respected experts who kindly donated their time and extensive experience. WMAA would like to thank the judges for their valuable time and contribution in the selection process for the finalists:

Townsville Waste Services - Magnetic Island Transfer Station
Magnetic Island is located 8 kilometres offshore from Townsville and is within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area, with approximately half of the island located within the Magnetic Island National Park. In order to protect the island's biodiversity, numerous conservation studies and community consultations were conducted during the development period, and a range of mitigation measures were employed to ensure there would be no negative environmental impact.

The transfer station is designed to receive a range of domestic, organic and commercial waste for sorting and categorisation, with customers passing by a series of front-end recovery points prior to disposal on the push-pit floor. These recovery points include facilities for oil, batteries, metals, garden organics, white goods, paints, tyres, gas bottles, marine flares, e-waste, comingled recyclables, bulk cardboard, and mixed chemicals. Waste is enclosed within fully sealed, lidded containers within the transfer station, with the ability to be closed and locked down when not in use, thus minimising odour and vermin issues.

The addition of a hook truck and dog trailer to the TWS fleet allowed for multiple containers to be removed from the island at once. Due to this increased capability, specially designed, sealed 10m3 containers were constructed for the transport of biosolid waste from the island's two wastewater treatment plants.

Provision at the site has also been made for a dedicated resale area that aims to promote reuse and resale of goods.

The construction of the transfer station has also allowed the Picnic Bay Landfill to be closed to the public since 7 March 2016.

Dulverton Waste Management - Dulverton Waste Management Landfill
Dulverton Waste Management (DWM) provides holistic and environmentally sustainable landfill and organics recycling services for industrial and public sector clients across Tasmania. The DWM landfill is located near Latrobe in north-west Tasmania.

DWM's independently certified and audited Environmental Management System (EMS) is embedded in landfill operations, used daily by staff, and backed by comprehensive environmental policies and processes. The landfill, with a life of 70-plus years, has a detailed aftercare plan, which has a voluntary financial reserve that is demarcated for ongoing monitoring and site improvement. Landfill cell design optimises the natural containment advantages of the site's former clay quarry.

Within the landfill boundary, a covenant protects the habitat of the endangered burrowing crayfish and giant freshwater crayfish. Water quality is preserved via DWM's leachate pumping system featuring over 7 kilometres of pipeline for safe processing at the Latrobe sewerage system. Odour and litter are minimised through daily waste covering at the tipping face and precise landfill compaction.

The DWM landfill was the region's first to operate a landfill gas system to extract methane and assist in annual carbon abatement of approximately 10,000 tonnes CO2-e. The landfill is also the smallest in Tasmania to implement this environmental initiative.

The DWM landfill also incorporates Tasmania's largest compost facility, diverting more than 29% (22,240 tonnes) of waste into high-quality compost certified to the voluntary Australian Standard for Composts, Soil Conditioners and Mulches (AS 4454). Work is underway to extend this waste minimisation effort with the implementation of a regional kerbside FOGO composting scheme, managed by DWM for processing at the DWM landfill site.

Each component of the system has a specific function with many serving multiple purposes through the integration. Systems which are being integrated include: electronic gates; digital CCTV; ANPR (licence plate CCTV); thermal CCTV; security and access control; building management systems; digital signage; and touch screens at the gatehouse. Data from licence plate cameras will reduce the time taken to record data, but will also track exactly where every vehicle travels on site, which can then be linked to transaction management and strategic pricing. In addition, the live CCTV also monitors any OH&S issues.

Ultimately, the integration of the systems will allow for real time management of the GTWMF, followed by future management of other facilities from one location.