A preferred solution to a full landfill has been identified by a regional council, with securing funding the next step. Photo: File.
A regional council is testing its “appetite” for solving Jindabyne’s ongoing waste woes, signalling its support for a potential solution.
The Jindabyne landfill had hit its end-of-life storage capacity limit significantly earlier than expected, limiting what people could drop off at the site.
It also triggered the opening of an interim transfer station at the landfill.
As part of that process, three options were put to councillors for their consideration at a recent meeting – that is, turning the interim transfer station into a permanent solution (option one) or a Resource Recovery Centre with either full scope (option two) or a reduced scope (option three).
Five options had been raised as potential solutions, though two were considered not viable, meaning the council turned its attention to the remaining three.
During the meeting, Snowy Monaro Regional Council CEO Noreen Vu said the decision would help staff plan their next steps about how the town’s waste was managed.
“It is a case of seeing if council has an appetite for the proposal put forward, [and that] gives direction to staff to go and actively seek funding with the external grants,” she said.
Councillor John Rooney urged his fellow councillors to move forward with the first option, which would see the interim transfer station transformed into a more permanent facility.
“It may not be the gold-plated Rolls Royce solution that perhaps some would want, but it is the cost-effective solution … We cannot afford the extravagance of option two, or even option three,” he said.
“Option one will address Jindabyne’s problems for waste management at a price that we can afford. Let’s support this proposal.”
An analysis presented to councillors states that option one would have a $5.7 million cost over 30 years and see an expected 2 per cent increase to waste fees (beyond standard increases to waste fees).
(For comparison, option two would see a 38 per cent increase and a $66.1 million cost, while option three would see a 26 per cent increase and a $39.8 million spend over the 30 years.)
The council documents state that community consultation indicated support for option one, on the grounds that it was the cheaper option and would utilise existing facilities.
A report prepared for SMRC on the three options states that none of them satisfy the eight criteria identified by the council.
The three proposed solutions were evaluated against a set of criteria, including their environmental impact, customer service potential and cost. Image: Snowy Monaro Regional Council.
Council documents also state that land was purchased in September 2022 for a Resource Recovery Centre, which would be needed in options two and three.
“The proceeds of the sale can support the capital investment and [in option one] would also further reduce council operational expenses cost to hold the property by $2246 per annum,” the documents state.
The recent meeting also heard the council had an open resolution to seek funding for a solution, with this vote needed to endorse a preferred solution that it could move forward with.
Ultimately, councillors voted unanimously to endorse option one and seek funding for the facility’s design and construction.
They also noted that five options had been considered and that interim works had been carried out at the landfill to continue waste services.
A timeline in the council documents indicates planning and construction are expected to last until at least November 2026 (the exact completion date would depend on various factors).
