Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate will tomorrow (Wednesday) launch the second major policy initiative of his 2024 re-election campaign - ending future landfill pressures on the city.
"I want to see an end to landfill on the Gold Coast. Under my vision, our existing landfill sites will be the last sites ever commissioned in our city.
"We will move to a zero-landfill future in around 12 years, once these sites have reached their end-of-life.
"To achieve this, I propose that our city will become a leader in waste processing.
"Smart cities like Dubai are constructing waste facilities that reprocess every item destined for landfill.
"That way, the environment is the winner and so is the community."
Mayor Tate said the plan was to build an Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC) in the Yatala-Stapylton area that will include:
a sewage treatment plant to service the northern suburbs;
a recycled water treatment plant to provide Class A recycled water to non-residential customers;
a recycling facility to sort recyclable materials collected across the city;
a construction and demolition processing facility;
an organics processing facility; and
a waste-to-energy facility that will divert waste from landfill and produce green electricity to power a green hydrogen electrolysis plant.
"It's a massive undertaking and I commit to full community consultation as we move forward. The vision will see around 98 percent of our waste diverted from landfill.
"Initial reports suggest the ARRC will save the City $60 million each year for 30 years, compared to transporting waste to third party landfills outside of the Gold Coast.
"Recycling is an important element. The aim is to increase recycling of waste that arrives at the ARRC.
"Businesses in and around the precinct will work together to transform waste from one industry into a valuable resource of another – supporting the establishment of a circular economy via the reprocessed waste streams.
"The ARRC will use cutting edge technology to drive innovation, reduce environmental impact and increase waste management efficiency.
"Only waste that is not recoverable for recycling will be processed and used as a fuel to fire a furnace to generate steam. The steam drives a turbine to generate electricity."
Mayor Tate said once the proposal had been approved at state and federal levels, the City would issue a global expression-of-interest to develop the most efficient waste-to-energy facility in the southern hemisphere.
"It is not just for the Gold Coast. The system would benefit around three million residents (and businesses) across the SEQ corner. We would charge commercial rates (to other councils and the private sector) to process their waste, delivering a return to Gold Coast ratepayers.
"I estimate this is a $1.5-$2 billion project and I will lobby the federal - and state - governments to invest in this leading-edge technology.
"After all, a future where no waste goes into landfill is a future our children can feel proud of.
"If the mantra of roads, rates and rubbish is true about local councils, we want to be a leader in waste processing."
Mayor Tate said he would work with City officers to formalise the business case for the facility, if re-elected on March 16.
"Like every major project, councillors will be fully briefed and involved, when we have sufficient detail to advance the project."
