Life of the Saltwater Creek Road landfill extended

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Changes at the Saltwater Creek Road landfill in Maryborough will quadruple the amount of space available at the facility, extending its life and improving its environmental performance.

The changes come after a new engineering study confirmed that increasing the height of the landfill site would not pose a safety risk to aircraft using the nearby Maryborough airport.

“We can go slightly higher than we had anticipated, but still be below the tree line, and we can use more of the site, such as sections that are currently being used for resource recovery,” Cr Paul Truscott said.

“The changes will bring savings to Council as it means we won’t have to develop a new landfill site for at least 30 years.

“By diverting funds from buying and developing a new site, we can also improve environmental practices at the Saltwater Creek Road facility to maintain industry best practice.

“With continued improvements in the way we recycle, such as the recent introduction of equipment to recycle polystyrene so it no longer ends up in landfill, we may be able to extend its working life for longer.

“If our reuse and recycling targets in the Waste Strategy 2019-2029 are met and maintained, the life of the landfill could be extended even further.”