Surf Beach Waste Management Facility: enabling works for new cell

Project: Constructing a new waste cell and associated enabling works at the Surf Beach Waste Management Facility.

Timeframe: July 2021 to June 2025

Status: In progress

Cost and funding: Council received $4,672,922 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: December 2024

Project details

Council is working to:

  • finalise the construction of a new waste cell and all associated water management systems
  • upgrade the current weighbridge facility
  • increase the efficient and secure access to the receival area and adjacent resource recovery centre.

Benefits to the community:

  • improve Council’s ability to receive and process waste
  • maintain and improve site capacity, security and resilience to bushfires and other natural disasters.

After the 2019/20 bushfires, a significant amount of bushfire waste was disposed of at the Surf Beach Waste Management Facility. This resulted in reduced capacity at this waste facility. Because of this, Council requires an alternative waste solution at least three years earlier than anticipated.

This project's objectives are to:

  • ensure that Council is able to continue to meet current operational requirements
  • enhance Council's resilience to the impacts of future bushfires and other natural disasters
  • offset and repair the impacts that the recent disasters have had on this waste management facility.

Background

During the 2019/20 bushfires, Council was forced to close the facility to the public for an extended period of time. Due to a lack of available processing space, some waste was diverted or sent out of the Eurobodalla Shire. This was inconvenient to the community and had a significant financial cost to Council.

Once Council reopened the site, bottlenecks at the weighbridge and receival area resulted in long queues and wait times. By upgrading this access point, Council will improve access to the facility and the associated waste collection and recording.

This project involves finalising the construction of a new waste cell and associated enabling works, including:

  • a leachate and sediment management system
  • gas capture and flaring system
  • relevant upgrades to the roads and access/entry points
  • relocating and/or upgrading some onsite infrastructure, including the weighbridge and adjacent structures.

Project updates

Here's a summary of activities that have taken place so far:

September 2024 - December 2024

  • Council is currently engaging a construction quality assurance consultant to oversee civil works for the project.
  • Council received submissions to the civil works contractor tender and is reviewing these to select a contractor for the project.
  • D & N Geotechnical Pty Limited installed groundwater monitoring bores.
  • Council received a detailed water management plan from Consulting Earth Scientists and is reviewing the plan.

June 2024 - August 2024

  • Consulting Earth Scientists Pty Ltd completed the design of the leachate and stormwater management upgrades.
  • Public Works Advisory prepared the works tender documents.
  • Council started procurement process for civil works contractor.
  • Council completed procurement of upgrades to groundwater monitoring network.
  • Council requested licence variation for groundwater monitoring plan from the EPA.

June 2024

  • Consulting Earth Scientists Pty Ltd have finalised a detailed design of the modifications to the new landfill cell and have finalised the Groundwater monitoring plan.

July 2023

  • Consulting Earth Scientists Pty Ltd completed the draft concept design.

December 2022

  • Council awarded the concept and design services tender (including the enabling works design) 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 enabling works design) and provided the tender recommendation to Council.

October 2022

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

September 2022

  • NSW Public Works Advisory released the concept and design services tender (including the enabling works design) 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 a consolidated concept and design services tender on Tenderlink, which included the:
    • Surf Beach enabling works
    • organics area expansion
    • Disaster Resilience Masterplan.

July 2022

  • Lantern Heritage Pty Ltd finalised the Aboriginal Heritage Due Diligence Assessment Report for works in adjoining areas. No artifacts, objects of cultural significance or landforms likely to contain such objects were identified. Proposed works within the study area can proceed with caution.
  • Council did not receive any conforming tenders for the design component of the enabling works.
  • Council commenced discussions with EPA, NSW Public Works Advisory and other relevant stakeholders to assess revised procurement options.

June 2022

  • Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited completed the biodiversity assessments in adjoining areas, with no significant issues identified.
  • Lantern Heritage Pty Ltd completed the Aboriginal cultural heritage assessments in adjoining areas and commenced drafting the report.
  • NSW Public Works Advisory released the enabling works design tender on Tenderlink.

May 2022

  • NSW Public Works Advisory finalised the concept and scoping works prior to the start of the formal tendering process.

April 2022

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

March 2022

  • NSW Public Works Advisory commenced work on pre-planning and scoping requirements.

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: