Once an appropriate location for a landfill is found, the landfill's journey begins with the design and approval phase. This is where the groundwork is laid, quite literally. Plans for the landfill are crafted, with the final land use being determined at this stage. A Landfill Environmental Management Plan is prepared, serving as the blueprint, outlining strategies, measures, and procedures for effective and sustainable landfill management through each stage of operation.

Approval is sought from the NSW EPA for an Environmental Protection Licence. This licence is the green light, specifying what waste is acceptable on-site, maximum stockpile sizes, reporting requirements, and more.

Once licenced, the construction phase can commence. In this phase, landfill cells are created, complete with leachate and gas capture systems. This stage is the most important as it ensures that the surrounding environment is protected during the operation of the landfill.

Following construction, the operational stage begins. This involves landfilling, implementing daily cover, ongoing environmental monitoring, and regular reporting to the NSW EPA. This is also where the NSW EPA has an active presence, especially if the site is not performing in line with the Environmental Protection Licence or NSW EPA’s guidelines and legislation.

Prior to site closure, a Landfill Closure Plan (LCP) is created for the site in line with the NSW EPA’s Solid Waste Landfill Guidelines. A LCP is a concept design of what the remediated site will look like and covers how any existing site issues will be rectified. This is the stage where customers are notified of the impending site closure.

Next is the remediation phase, which is essentially the makeover phase. Slope rectification, layer installations (including gas collection and venting, sealing, drainage, and revegetation), stormwater management, and the addition of environmental monitoring bores occurs in this stage.

A landfill’s journey doesn’t end with remediation. In the aftercare stage, ongoing environmental monitoring becomes paramount for 30+ years. It ensures the site's continued compliance with environmental standards post-closure and provides assurance that the closed landfill does not pose a risk to the surrounding environment, including groundwater and air quality.

Landfill remediation involves safely containing the waste from a landfill site in accordance with the Protection of the Environment Operations Act and NSW EPA Approvals. Landfill sites continue to break down in the years after closure, so remediation plays a critical role in reducing risks to the environment for current and future generations.

Site remediation works can involve various items, such as earthworks and bank stabilisation, landfill capping systems, environmental monitoring systems, and NSW EPA Approvals.

The final land use of the site will be green open space, which will contain a variety of grasses and carefully selected flora to encourage local fauna and insects back to the area. It will also support the existing ecological corridor with the neighbouring C2 Environmental Conservation zoned land. The site will be inaccessible to the public.

Unfortunately, the site cannot be used as a public space due to potential risks associated with landfill gas emissions and steep landfill batter slopes post-remediation. No vehicular or foot traffic is permitted on the remediated landfill to ensure that no damage occurs to the final capping layer of soil and vegetation.

At this stage, it is very unlikely that Council will consider developing another landfill due to the high financial costs associated with the construction, operation, and ongoing environmental monitoring required. Instead, already established local waste facilities are a more feasible solution and conveniently located for all Wollondilly residents to access.

Council was successful in securing grant funding through the Black Summer Bushfire Grants Program to install a hardstand area at 25 Government Rd, Bargo (next door to Bargo WMC) to support emergency waste management following natural disasters.
Other uses of the area include, but are not limited to:

• Household Chemical Clean Out events
• Wood chipping events and other resource recovery initiatives
• Temporary storage area for machinery and clean soil to be used for remediation works at Bargo WMC

More information on the project can be found here.

The NSW Environment Protection Licence for Bargo Waste Management Centre can be found here.