Working Group
The Waste Management Working Group (WMWG), comprising council staff, councillors and community representatives, was established to monitor the development of an appropriate waste management strategy for the Bywong, Sutton East and Wamboin areas.
5 December 2014
Open for Business
The new facility on Macs Reef Road was officially opened on Friday 5 December 2014. Operational details for this and the new central facility at Bungendore are provided on the Waste Disposal Facilities page on this website.
January 2014
Commencement of Construction
Construction of the new facility is now under way, and expected to be complete ready for commissioning in December 2014. It is anticipated that both the Bungendore and Macs Reef Road facilities will come on line at the same time.
24 January 2013
DA Approved by JRPP
With statements in support of the facility from both the Bywong and Wamboin Community Associations, the Macs Reef Road Waste Transfer Station Development Application was approved without opposition. Members of the Panel complimented council on the way it had worked with the communities involved to arrive at a mutually beneficial outcome. Apparently this is a rare occurrence where waste facilities are involved.
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Council Assessment Report | [3.8 MB] |
10 December 2012
DA Scheduled for Consideration by JRPP
Council has been advised that the DA for the Macs Reef WTS will be considered by the Joint Regional Planning Panel on 24 Jan 2013, at 2.00 pm, in the Bungendore Council Chambers. Those who made submissions will be invited to attend. Staff have recommended approval.
26 June 2012
DA Lodged
The DA for the WTS has been lodged after receiving ‘Owner’s Consent’ from Department of Primary Industries – Catchments & Lands.
28 May 2012
Aboriginal Land Claim Withdrawn
Council has been advised that the Aboriginal land claim over the Macs Reef Road tip site has been withdrawn. Once this advice is confirmed by the Lands Department, since this is now classed as Designated Development, the DA must be submitted to various government departments for comment. This process will take several months, and if there are no further problems construction of the new facility is expected to commence early in 2013.
At this stage, construction works on the central facility at Bungendore are expected to commence in the second half of 2012, with the both facilities then due for completion in the early part of 2014.
22 March 2012
Aboriginal Land Claim
The processing of the DA for the new facility has been complicated by the fact that there is an outstanding Aboriginal land claim, made under the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, on the Macs Reef Road tip site. This issue will have to be resolved before the Department of Lands will issue consent for the DA to be submitted.
22 November 2011
Public Information Session
As part of the EIS requirements, Council held a Public Information Session at the Bywong Community Hall. Public response was generally positive and no new issues were raised.
July 2011
Environmental Impact Statement
During the assessment of the Development Application, it was noted that there was a potable bore on one of the adjacent properties. Without going into all the details, the presence of this bore will now require us to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
The Statement of Environmental Effects, prepared in conjunction with the original DA, will comprise the bulk of this EIS, so the preparation of the actual document should not hold the process up to any great extent. The need to prepare a new DA and the mandatory time intervals involved in the approval process, however, will mean that the project will be delayed by around 6 months. All going well though, the facility should still be completed by June 2012.
January 2011
Development Application
At the January meeting of the WMWG, Quadro and EPS presented the documentation that would accompany the DA for the proposed waste transfer station. Roofing options were discussed, and some refinements made to the proposed access road arrangement. It is expected that the DA will be submitted for assessment in late January or early February, and the result of the application will be known before the end of April 2011.
Budget allocations in the 2011/2012 Management Plan will be made assuming that the DA will be approved and that construction will begin early in the 2011/2012 financial year.
The WMWG is scheduled to meet again in April 2011, assuming that the DA is successful, to review the specific requirements for the application for a Construction Certificate.
November 2010
Development Application
At the November meeting of the WMWG, all present agreed to accept a joint proposal provided by Quadro Australia Pty Ltd and Environmental Planning Services Pty Ltd. This proposal is for the preparation of the Development Application required in conjunction with the proposed WTS. Associated works include:
- Preparation of a community engagement plan
- Preparation of DA design plans
- Preparation of an operations plan for the WTS
- Preparation of the Statement of Environmental Effects
- A noise, vibration and air assessment
- A traffic review
October 2010
Project Planning
At the October meeting of the WMWG, Council staff reported on their progress in preparing the Development Application for the Macs Reef Road waste transfer station. Council is in the process of engaging consultants to assist with the preparation of the various documents required to accompany the DA. Initial project milestones have been identified, with a target date for completion of all planning works of March 2011.
June 2010
Management Plan & Budget
At its 24 June 2010 Extraordinary Meeting, Council voted to adopt the 2010/2011 Management Plan & Budget, which included funding for the Macs Reef Road WTS. The vote was eight for, and one against, with the mayor refusing to support the Plan while it included the Macs Reef Road WTS.
The planning and design phases of the project will commence early in the new financial year, with construction scheduled for the 2011/2012 financial year.
March 2010
Funding
At its March 2010 Meeting, Council passed a resolution to include the Macs Reef Road WTS in the 2010/11 Management Plan and Budget. In spite of this, there remains some stubborn opposition to this facility within Council, ostensibly on the basis of the cost involved.
At its March meeting, and in an effort to establish a factual basis for arguments related to these costs, the WMWG undertook an exercise to compare the cost of the new Waste Transfer Station with that of operating the existing landfill.
It was noted that the forecast operational costs for the proposed WTS are roughly the same as those for the existing landfill. Further, based on the vehicle movement estimates provided in the Concept Options Report, and the proposed Gate Fees, the cost of servicing the loan used to fund the capital works associated with the new facility will be met mostly by those using and benefiting from the facility (i.e. Gate Fees collected from users of the new facility may well cover loan repayments for the entire cost of the capital works).
The result is that the provision of a Waste Transfer Station on Macs Reef Road will have little financial impact on current costs, as the cost of operating the WTS will be roughly equal to the cost of operation of the existing landfill.
It was also pointed out that, while they cannot be quantified, there will also be savings in capital expenditure at the Bungendore WTS due to the increased life expectancy of the existing infrastructure, now that Wamboin/Bywong/Sutton waste is being handled locally.
Some members of Council, however, would have us believe that the development of a Waste Transfer Station at the Macs Reef Road site will place an unacceptable financial burden on Palerang ratepayers. The fact is that the present situation has arisen through a fundamental failure in Council's planning process, and any 'financial burden' is simply the result of this poor planning. Having approved the Macs Reef Road WTS, Council is facing a shortfall in funding for waste management projects elsewhere in the shire, now that it will be unable to divert current funding away from the Macs Reef Road facility.
This fact notwithstanding, the 'unacceptable financial burden' supposedly being thrust upon the ratepayers of Palerang would amount to $21 in 2010/11, rising to an estimated $37 over the subsequent two years. Compare this to the 'perfectly reasonable', mandatory $260 charge proposed for a roadside collection service, or the significantly greater general rate rises thrust on Wamboin and Bywong residents by the first Palerang Council, for the provision of nothing at all, and one could be forgiven for questioning the credibility of the individuals involved.
September 2009 – January 2010
Waste Transfer Station Planning
By November 2009, the Cultural Heritage and Flora & Fauna Impact Assessments had been completed, without raising any significant issues. The site survey was also complete. At its November meeting, the WMWG noted that Council was commencing remedial work on the Macs Reef Road site, in accordance with EPA requirements, although this work is independent of any activity related to the proposed Waste Transfer Station.
The development of concept options for the proposed Waste Transfer Station was undertaken by Quadro Australia Pty Ltd, and their Concept Options Report submitted early in February 2010.
August 2009
Roadside Collection Trial Postponed
At its August 2009 meeting, Council voted unanimously to postpone a proposed roadside collection trial, and proceed with the planning required to support the establishment of this Waste Transfer Station.
June 2009
Waste Management Survey
The first task of the WMWG was to develop a Waste Management Survey questionnaire, which was subsequently distributed to all Bywong, Sutton East and Wamboin residents in the middle of June 2009. The 54.5% response rate to this survey was exceptional, and the results fell overwhelmingly against the proposed Council collection service, with 75% community support for the establishment of a Waste Transfer Station at the current Macs Reef Road landfill site.
The WMWG meets as required to monitor the progress of the Macs Reef Road project. Developments will be noted here after each meeting, when the minutes have been presented to Council.