Orbost Transfer Station
East Gippsland Shire turned a 45-year-old landfill into a transfer station, budgeted at $675,000 and delivered for about $900,000. Published by Sustainability Victoria in August 2016 as one of five case studies alongside its Guide to Better Practice at Resource Recovery Centres. Rawtec produced this case study in collaboration with Sustainability Victoria.
Summary published
East Gippsland Shire converted a landfill that had run for close to 45 years into a transfer station. The budget was $675,000. The final cost was about $900,000.
The council built the new infrastructure on top of the old waste cells to keep the footprint small, and the document names the cost: “unexpected costs and prolonged time-frames due to the additional stabilisation and rehabilitation work.”
The nearest operating landfill is about an hour’s drive, and two more landfills in the shire were scheduled to close — Lakes Entrance in 2018 and Cann River in 2020 — with their load coming here.
Final cost against a $675,000 budget
How long the landfill had operated
Recycling streams accepted
Drive to the nearest operating landfill
What it cost and why
Unbudgeted ground work, small throughput and long distances
The project went from a $675,000 budget, including $150,000 from Sustainability Victoria, to roughly $900,000 after additional upgrades. Building over existing waste cells is the named cause.
The site handles about 15 bins — 30 cubic metres — of landfill waste a month, plus up to two bins each of commingled recycling and cardboard. Recyclables go to the Bairnsdale materials recovery facility.
Staffing, and staying open through construction
Fourteen streams run on two council employees per shift from a pool of four, rostered one week on and one week off.
Staying open “maintain[ed] a relationship with customers and residents” and gave staff the chance to educate people on separation while the site was being rebuilt.
Reuse sorting and green waste on site
An undercover gatehouse at the entry assesses fees on vehicle volume, contamination and load type, and staff pull reusable items out for the onsite resale shop before they reach a bin.
Rather than hauling it, green waste is processed on site and used to support landfill rehabilitation and site beautification.
What comes next
Lakes Entrance closes in 2018 and Cann River in 2020. The document says to increase capacity gradually rather than waiting for the load to arrive.
“A lengthy planning phase was one of the most important elements in mitigating the challenge.” The same conclusion Kyabram reached.
Two streams named as the next additions, both relevant to an agricultural district.
The site reports throughput in bins rather than tonnes.
This case study reports no tonnages, no diversion rate and no population served — throughput is given only as “about 15 bins” a month.
The rest of the series
Four more Victorian facilities and the guide behind the series.
The case study covers the six drop-off bays, the hazardous materials shed and the full accepted materials list.
Planning a facility upgrade?
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