Fault Line Assessment

The Dardanup Landfill facility has been assessed by an independent Geotechnical Engineer. It is concluded the site is situated appropriately away from the geographical fault line and there is very low risk associated with the site. A copy of the findings can be found here

Environmental information

Cleanaway has been operating the landfill facility on Banksia Road at Dardanup since 2006 when it took the operation over from another company. The site has been a landfill since 1999.

The facility is operated safely and efficiently. The operation is audited on a regular basis by the WA Department of Water Environment Regulation (DWER) and independent specialists.

Cleanaway has strong track record in protecting the surrounding environment from contamination and complying with license regulations. The company is proud of the service it provides the Dardanup and other communities allowing safe and convenient disposal of waste. The facility provides reliable employment for local people and support for local business and families.

Dust control improvements

Dust is most prominent through November to April, however, requires controls throughout the year. Areas of focus for measures to control dust include active cell activities, haul roads, and project excavation works, or any other activity where dust presents risk.

• Commissioned an additional water truck to reduce dust emissions from January 2020.
• Upgraded and sealed access roads on site to control dust.
• Installed a weather station to assist with production planning in line with weather conditions.
• Submitted a dust management plan for Council approval in Feb 2020.

Windblown litter improvements

Cleanaway has also made improvements to how it is managing litter from the site. This includes the installation of:

• A 450m long 6.5m moveable litter fence on top of a call in May 2020.
• A 450m long 3.6m high litter fence along the southern boundary in March 2020, which will be extended by 200m in the coming months.
• 10 Soccer goal litter nets in January 2020.

Cleanaway also employs a full-time litter picker and regularly reviews our approach to litter management in collaboration with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Noise management

The landfill site is required to comply with the suggested assigned levels that are set out in the Noise Regulations.

Cleanaway carry out noise assessments/modelling on an ‘as required basis’ which form a component of submissions to DWER.

Noise modelling informs the risk profile of a premises and in the case of the landfill site, DWER has reviewed and accepted the modelling.  Following this acceptance there is a validation component showing that the modelling is correct.

The most recent noise monitoring identified that a chorus of birds emit higher noise readings than what are produced from the site.

Land fill height

The Dardanup Landfill is currently licensed for a height of !28AHD top of waste (TOW), and 131AHD final profile which includes the 2m cap. AHD stands for Australian Height Datum and is a mean sea level calculated from 30 tide guages around Australian coast line. More info can be found Australian Height Datum | Geoscience Australia (ga.gov.au)

Fire and Emergency Services

A fire management plan has been updated and reviewed with Bunbury Fire Emergency Services. Fire risk at waste management and recycling facilities is an industry-wide problem. Contamination and hazardous material disposed of incorrectly in general waste and recycling bins can cause fires within collection vehicles and at recovery and disposal facilities.

Cleanaway work closely with councils and customers to increase education about how different material types should be disposed. Cleanaway run online community engagement campaigns and has in-house educational officers to address curbside disposal behaviours, aiming to stop households from throwing the wrong thing in the wrong bins.

We also engage in industry groups such as WRIWA to collaborate around industry standards and have recently recruited a nation fire engineer.

A copy of the Dardanup Landfill Fire Control Process can be found here

Information regarding hazardous wastes that should not be disposed in household waste streams can be found at https://www.cleanaway.com.au/service/household-hazardous-waste/

Odour management

The area Cleanaway operates in contains other waste facilities in close proximately. These include a composting facility, and wastewater treatment ponds and a transfer station. Cleanaway controls odour through daily cover, trapping smells within the cell, and its gas management system which flares off excess methane.

Storm management

Stormwater at the Dardanup landfill flows to and is contained in two stormwater ponds. This stormwater is an important resource through the summer months in terms of dust suppressant, and both ponds facilitate the filling of water trucks. In recent times the following improvements have been made;

• The southern boundary diversion was completed May 2019 to protect the western end of the southern stormwater drain
• Additional stormwater capacity has been constructed through the raising of overflow on stormwater pond 2 in May 2019
• The additional water cart commissioned in Jan 2020, assisting lowest possible levels in stormwater ponds are obtained at the start of winter, ensuring maximum capacity.
• A design has been produced for Council Development Approval to rectify wear and tear of the eastern end of the southern boundary. Design has been in collaboration with Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, with engagement with Council on solution May 2020

A copy of Cleanaway’s site map of stormwater drainage system can be found here

Remediation

Cleanaway is responsible for the ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation of the site. Cleanaway owns and operates similar landfills across the country and is experienced in safely capping waste cells and revegetating sites. Former landfill sites in other areas have become parks and reserves suitable for recreation, such as golf courses and passive recreation including walking tracks. This site is privately owned and its end use is a matter for the owner.

Cleanaway has established a specific fund to ensure the rehabilitation of the site is not compromised into the future. As the licence holder, Cleanaway is responsible for the safe capping and rehabilitation of the cells, as well as the aftercare and monitoring to ensure the ongoing environmental performance of the cells until the licence is revoked.

Environmental aspects of the closure of the landfill can be regulated by DWER under the EP Act. The current prescribed premises licence expires in 2035. If regulation is required beyond that time, the licence can be extended, or in the absence of a licence, DWER can serve a Closure Notice that can require specific investigation, monitoring or management actions to be taken.

The Facility has also been classified under the Contaminated Sites Act 2003 as ‘possibly contaminated – investigation required’. Post closure of the Facility, the requirements of the CS Act will continue to apply in respect of the management or remediation of any land or groundwater contamination.

Site remediation plan can be found here
Site landscaping plan can be found here

Cell design

The area Cleanaway operates in contains other waste facilities in close proximately. These include a composting facility, and wastewater treatment ponds and a transfer station. Cleanaway controls odour through daily cover, trapping smells within the cell, and its gas management system which flares off excess methane.

Groundwater management

Cleanaway undertakes numerous measures to ensure that we do not impact the local groundwater. To do this Cleanaway:

• Design landfill cells to ensure they have an adequate buffer distance between the base of the landfill and the top of the groundwater.  At the Dardanup site, there is at least a 30 metre buffer between the outer lining of the cell and the Leederville Aquifer (water table). In addition, the ground is made up of very dense clay which is effectively impermeable. These are the primary reasons why this site was originally deemed as suitable for a landfill facility;
• Install a multiple-barrier lining system that ensures any leachate (water that comes into contact with the waste) is contained within the cell;
• Install a leachate collection system that removes the leachate from the cell and stores in a pond for natural evaporation; and
• Regularly commissions third party specialists to undertake groundwater monitoring to ensure compliance and check that the lining system is performing as designed.

Cleanaway’s cells are purpose designed and constructed to prevent contamination of the groundwater. The composite liner design includes a Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) and the other barrier is a geomembrane which is composed of High-Density Polyethene. This specially designed barrier is composed of materials rich in anti-oxidants that maintain the robust integrity of the liner long term. An indicative image of a typical waste cell design is below:

As part of Cleanaway’s regular monitoring processes, in 2018 a PFAS value above drinking water guidelines was detected in one of the bores on site. This was reported to DWER as part of Cleanaway’s reporting requirements. It was subsequently tested and cleared.

Cleanaway understands the importance of the groundwater to the local community and complies with all groundwater management requirements.

Cleanaway’s 2016, 2017 and 2018 groundwater reports are available here:

Click on the following links to view the relevant report.

Reports

Click on the following links to view the relevant report.