The City of Wanneroo is leading renewed calls for the Tamala Park landfill’s planned closure to be brought forward amid ongoing odour concerns affecting neighbouring suburbs.
The city recently issued a public statement calling for the landfill to close “as soon as practicably possible”.
The waste management facility, which is operated by Mindarie Regional Council on behalf of seven member councils, has been operating since 1991.
The cities of Joondalup, Perth, Stirling, Vincent and Wanneroo, and the towns of Cambridge and Victoria Park send about 4000 tonnes of household waste to Tamala Park each week.
Though the 22ha landfill area is scheduled to close in 2029, Tamala Park’s recycling centre, transfer station and reuse shop will remain open and are used by thousands of people every week as part of the State’s second busiest waste management facility.
Wanneroo mayor Linda Aitken said she believed it was now time to consider bringing forward the landfill’s closure as waste management across the State shifted towards waste reduction, resource recovery and alternatives to landfill.
“The city is planning for a future beyond landfill, communities rightly expect us to be planning for better, more sustainable solutions and the Neerabup Resource Recovery Precinct is central to that vision,” she said.
Ms Aitken also said she will be seeking a meeting with Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn to discuss options for expediting the closure of the tip.
The city also said it would engage with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation to oppose any applications that would extend the landfill’s life.
The City of Wanneroo’s planned NRRP will include a waste transfer station, community recycling centre and materials recovery facility designed to support recycling and material recovery.
The precinct also includes provision for a waste-to-energy facility, which has not proved popular among residents, particularly in Carramar and Banksia Grove.
The city believes these key initiatives will be enough to reduce its reliance on landfill.
For years, residents in Clarkson, Mindarie, Kinross and Burns Beach, along with other neighbouring suburbs, have reported odour issues linked to landfill gas from the Tamala Park site.
Camera IconThe Tamala Park landfill site. Credit: Mindarie Regional Council
The smell is caused by uncontrolled landfill gas emissions, which in part are a result of high leachate levels, the site’s elevation and wind conditions.
A spokesperson for Mindarie Regional Council has told PerthNow that while closure of the landfill site is anticipated in 2029, a fixed closure date could not be confirmed as it depended on a range of operational and regulatory factors.
“This projection depends on a number of factors, including volumes of waste received and necessary approvals to complete the landfill by that time,” the spokesperson said.
“MRC is awaiting approval for an application from the (DWER) for works that are essential to closing the Tamala Park landfill, as planned.
“Factors that may influence the exact closure date include the rate at which remaining landfill airspace is consumed, the timing of regulatory approvals and the completion of landfill infrastructure and closure works in accordance with environmental and engineering requirements to ensure closure in line with environmental best practice guidelines.”
Once the final waste load is received, the spokesperson said capping and closure should be completed within six months, but odours were expected to linger.
“Once landfill closure has been reached, a program of capping and rehabilitation of the area will commence,” they said.
“It will be capped/sealed according to the environmentally safe final profile in accordance with the relevant regulatory approvals and best practice environmental requirements.”
“Some level of landfill gas generation is anticipated, which will be managed through gas collection and control systems. Odour impacts are expected to progressively reduce over time.”