Cleanaway Lucas Heights Resource Recovery Park is a drop-off and disposal site. We provide free drop off for pre-sorted loads of paper and cardboard, steel and aluminium cans, scrap metals, limited quantities of sump oil, vehicle batteries. This site also houses the Lucas Heights Organic Resource Recovery Facility, which collects and processes organic material for recycling into compost.

Proposed Western Extension Project  

Cleanaway is proposing to extend its existing Lucas Heights Resource Recovery Park (LHRRP) landfill, providing much-needed additional capacity and associated critical waste infrastructure. As the last remaining putrescible landfill site in the Sydney basin, an extension of the Lucas Heights facility will assist in managing NSW’s looming landfill shortage. According to the NSW Government’s Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy 2041, available landfill in NSW is forecast to be at capacity by 2030. While the Strategy includes plans for responsibly reducing, reusing, repairing and recycling the waste we generate, according to the NSW Government, we still need additional landfill capacity.  

What’s proposed 

If approved, Cleanaway will continue to process Sydney’s red bin waste at the same rate it currently does (up to 970,000 tonnes per annum) until at least 2040. Cleanaway’s existing landfill is forecast to run out of capacity by around 2030. The extension site is expected to be operational in 2031. The proposed extension would make use of existing environmental control infrastructure and allow the LHRRP to continue to generate electricity for around 25,000 homes via its onsite methane collection and renewable power generation system. 

In addition to the benefit of offsetting Sydney’s looming waste issue, the proposal will create direct and indirect jobs and will result in new open recreational space being created and handed over to Sutherland Shire Council when the site ceases to operate as a landfill.  

Get involved  

Cleanaway recently requested Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) from the NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure via the submission of a Scoping Report. The SEARs will guide the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposal. SEARs are expected to be issued by end December 2024. You can view the Scoping Report on the Department’s website here: Lucas Heights RRP Western Expansion | Planning Portal – Department of Planning and Environment 

There will be multiple opportunities for the community and other stakeholders to obtain information about the project and to provide feedback including our hotline at 1800 975 041.