Summerhill Cell 10 planned to secure Newcastle waste capacity for another decade

newy.com.au – A new landfill cell capable of receiving up to three million cubic metres of waste will be built at the Summerhill Waste Management Centre as City of Newcastle plans for the city’s future waste needs.

The project will create the 10th landfill cell at the site, one of the largest waste facilities in NSW, with City of Newcastle saying Summerhill has the capacity to meet Newcastle’s waste disposal needs for more than 100 years. The latest cell is expected to provide about another decade of landfill capacity as the city’s population grows.

City of Newcastle chief executive officer Jeremy Bath said the work formed part of the council’s long-term waste strategy. “The Summerhill Waste Management Centre is a significant asset that allows us to take responsibility for our city’s waste and innovate its management as our population continues to grow,” Mr Bath said.

“The planning and eventual development of the latest landfill cell will provide Newcastle with secure, environmentally responsible waste capacity for another 10 years.

“This will be delivered alongside a range of initiatives and education programs focussed on reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and changing the way we return, reuse, repair and recycle resources.

“The current landfill operates in conjunction with our Resource Recovery Centre, which opened in 2019 and has diverted almost 19,000 tonnes of waste that would otherwise have been destined for landfill.”

City of Newcastle has awarded a tender for the design of the Cell 10 project, which will include planning for site-wide stormwater and contaminated liquid strategies, gas management and detailed geotechnical investigations. The overall masterplan for the site will also be updated.

City of Newcastle managing director waste services David Witherdin said the new cell would be guided by best-practice environmental controls. “Our modern facilities and best practice landfill operations have replaced the open-air rubbish piles of the past by using the sealed cells as independent containment units,” Mr Witherdin said.

“The cells manage contaminated liquids and allow us to reduce the volume of clean stormwater entering the landfill area and thereby reduces contamination.

“Our landfilling practices manage odour more effectively and increase capture of landfill gas which is converted it into electricity and reduces our carbon impact, while still providing long-term landfill capacity for our city’s predicted population boom.”

The master planning and design work is expected to be completed in 2027, followed by a tender to build Cell 10, with staged construction expected to begin in 2028.