newy.com.au – The $19 million clean-up of the former Truegain waste oil processing plant at Rutherford has been completed, leaving the 1.2-hectare site suitable for commercial or industrial use.
The property was regarded as one of the most contaminated sites in the Hunter after the plant was abandoned in 2016. Truegain had lost its trade waste permit, had its environment protection licence suspended and entered liquidation.
Property and Development NSW’s Waste Assets Management Corporation carried out the remediation in two stages. The first stage, completed in late 2023, removed more than 11,000 tonnes of industrial liquid waste and sludge, along with above-ground infrastructure including more than 400 storage tanks and intermediate bulk containers.
The second stage involved removing about 15,000 tonnes of contaminated soil, hydrocarbon-impacted concrete slabs and underground infrastructure, including a 50,000-litre tank.
NSW Lands and Property Minister Steve Kamper said the completed work would allow the former industrial site to be put to new use.
“With the completion of remediation work, what was once a blight on the local landscape has been transformed into a space that can be used to benefit the entire Maitland community,” Mr Kamper said.
He said Property and Development NSW was also remediating other contaminated sites in the Hunter, including the former Waratah Gasworks in Newcastle.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said the completion of the project would improve safety and amenity in Rutherford.
“The remediation of the former Truegain site is a huge relief to our community. Thanks to Property and Development NSW, one of the most polluted sites in the Lower Hunter is now cleaned up, bolstering safety and amenity for the Rutherford community,” Ms Aitchison said.
Rutherford resident Ramona Cocco described the clean-up as a “mammoth undertaking”.
“It is so nice to know that we, as a community, can finally move on and this site can be reused in a way that’s beneficial to us all,” she said.
