Surf Beach Waste Management Facility: disaster resilience masterplan and detailed designs

Project: Prepare a masterplan delivering a clear, strategic approach that highlights the services to be provided to the community at the Surf Beach Waste Management Facility.

Timeframe: July 2021 to June 2025

Status: In progress

Cost and funding: Council received $1,155,617 in grant funding for the approved project from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) under the Bushfire Recovery Program for Council Landfills.

Page last updated: August 2024

Project details

Council is working to:

  • develop a masterplan to deliver a clear, strategic approach that details the services to be provided to the community at the Surf Beach Waste Management Facility
  • prepare a suite of designs and investigations detailing what activities are permitted, where they will be located, and how they are to be built.

Benefits to the community:

  • increased support and direction to Council staff, particularly during a natural disaster
  • ensuring that the site can maintain operations during or immediately after a natural disaster
  • provide staff with clearer goals and objectives, and a shared understanding of what is ahead of them to meet and improve resource recovery and landfill operational requirements.

During the 2019/20 bushfires, a significant amount of bushfire waste was disposed of at the Surf Beach Waste Management Facility.

By providing a masterplan and detailed plans and designs, Council will:

  • prepare for the construction of required upgrades, expansions and enabling works at the site
  • allow Council's Waste Services to effectively maximise the available space in order to meet the current and long-term waste management needs of the community.

Background

The Surf Beach Waste Management Facility was significantly impacted during the 2019/20 bushfires.

  • The facility received approximately 45,000 tonnes of bushfire-affected waste. Close to 30,000m3 of landfill airspace was consumed, which exceeds an entire regular year's airspace.
  • There was insufficient space at the facility to receive the sudden influx of green waste, which had increased because residents were preparing for incoming bushfires.
  • Council had to transfer the unprocessed green waste out of the Eurobodalla. This was necessary for the facility to continue receiving kerbside collections once the roads were safe to access.
  • To cater for the vast amounts of burnt waste received in a short period of time, Council reshaped the existing waste cell and relocated access roads. This resulted in the loss of the area previously used for leachate dispersal.
  • The gas flare unit was damaged during this time, with some surface infrastructure and subsurface wells melted. This resulted in bushfire waste being disposed of in areas where gas capture was not available.

Provision of a masterplan and detailed plans and designs will enable the construction of required upgrades, expansions and enabling works so that Waste Services can efficiently maximise the available space. This is required to meet the current and long-term waste management needs of the community.

The masterplan will align with Council's, regional, and broader waste strategies to ensure the Surf Beach facility meets long-term waste requirements.

This project:

  • supports necessary infrastructure and enhances the capacity and processing of waste
  • ensures that the site will be able to maintain operations during or immediately after a natural disaster in the future.

Project updates

Here's a summary of direct and indirect activities that have taken place so far to help us prepare the masterplan:

June 2024

  • Consulting Earth Scientists have finalised the Disaster Resilience Master Plan, which sets a blueprint for the future planning and design for the Surf Beach Waste Management Facility.

August 2023

  • Consulting Earth Scientists Pty Ltd completed a draft of the Disaster Resilience Masterplan.

December 2022

  • Council awarded the concept and design services tender (including the Disaster Resilience Masterplan and design works) to Consulting Earth Scientists Pty Ltd.

November 2022

  • The Tender Evaluation Committee completed and reviewed the tender assessments for the concept and design services tender (including the Disaster Resilience Masterplan and design works) and provided the tender recommendation to Council.

October 2022

  • Council received the submissions for the concept and design services tender (including the Disaster Resilience Masterplan and design works). NSW Public Works Advisory reviewed the submissions for completion and conformity.

September 2022

  • NSW Public Works Advisory released the consolidated concept and design services tender (including the Disaster Resilience Masterplan and design works) on Tenderlink.

August 2022

  • Council carried out a full review of procurement options due to a shortage of available specialist resources.
  • Council held discussions with NSW Public Works Advisory, the EPA and industry experts to assess, analyse and review all reasonable procurement options. As a result, the Disaster Resilience Masterplan and design works were combined with other current bushfire resilience projects into a consolidated concept and design services tender. The intention of this consolidation is to increase the appeal of the works on offer, in line with current market conditions.
  • NSW Public Works Advisory released the concept and design services tender on Tenderlink, which included the:
    • Disaster Resilience Masterplan and design works
    • Surf Beach enabling works
    • organics area expansion.

July 2022

  • Lantern Heritage Pty Ltd finalised the Aboriginal Heritage Due Diligence Assessment Report. No artifacts, objects of cultural significance or landforms likely to contain such objects were identified. Proposed works within the Surf Beach study area can proceed with caution.

June 2022

  • Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited completed the biodiversity assessments, with no significant issues identified.
  • Lantern Heritage Pty Ltd completed the Aboriginal cultural heritage assessments and commenced drafting the report.

May 2022

  • NSW Public Works Advisory released the organics area expansion design tender on Tenderlink.

April 2022

  • Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited commenced the biodiversity assessments.
  • Lantern Heritage commenced the Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment.

March 2022

  • NSW Public Works Advisory released the following tenders on Tenderlink:
    • biodiversity assessment
    • Aboriginal cultural heritage assessment.

February 2022

  • Council prepared and submitted the Project Plan to the EPA.

December 2021

  • The EPA executed the Deed of Funding for the approved project.

July 2021

  • Council applied for grant funding from the EPA under the Bushfire Recovery Program for Council Landfills.

More information

For more information, please contact Council's Divisional Manager Waste Services, Nathan Ladmore, on: