Woodlawn eco-precinct:
A mine repurposing case study
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The Woodlawn mine closes in 1998
Mine closes
Denehurst mining company enters into receivership in 1998
Un-rehabilitated mine site and unpaid workers entitlements
Anchor point
Massive closed mine pit
Anchor point
Rail line from western Sydney to Tarago
Regulatory enablers
1995 NSW Waste Minimisation and Management Act
1998 Privatisation of the NSW waste industry
2001 NSW Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Act
Woodlawn eco-precinct: First steps
2000
EPA consent: purchase surrounding Pylara farm
2000
EPA consent: establish an intermodal transfer station (waste from rail to truck) out of Tarago township
Woodlawn to accept 20% of Sydney’s putrescible waste
2002-2005
Residents oppose development of Clyde (Sydney) waste transfer terminal - legal actions
Company successful and terminal enabled
Public/private partnership
NSW becomes major project stakeholder
Company to pay miners entitlements and rehabilitate mine site
Converting a mine pit to a bio-reactor
Bio-reactor
Landfill gas collection system installed from 2004
Power generation hub
Bio-gas power increased from 1MW in 2008 to 7MW in 2019.
The bio-gas feeds into the electricity grid
Education centre
The ‘eco-precinct trail’ showcases circular economy initiatives
Towards an integrated eco-precinct
Wind farm
Approval lodged 2005
By 2011 operating by Infigen Energy on company land
Wind farm powers 30,000 homes
Aquaculture
Trial commenced 2009
By 2014 barramundi commercially viable
Sold to Canberra market
Expansion
Approval in 2012 to expand waste collection to include Canberra and Goulburn
Major infrastructure added to eco-precinct
Mechanical biological treatment (MBT)
First MBT outputs in NSW to be approved for use
Recovers and recycles organic material for rehabilitation
Woodlawn Organic Output
Processed organic matter from MBT used as capping in pit and remediating tailings dams
Solid waste recovery
MBT output from in-organic waste
Still waiting for approvals
Solar farm
Powers the MBT
Leachate plant
Part of EPA condition to manage bio-reactor odour for Tarago and surrounds
Key learnings
Success factors include:
Persistence: First site was rejected by community stakeholders and several court cases over the Sydney inter-modal waste transfer station.
Extensive investment in R&I to ensure leading edge in disruptive technologies.
Establishment of public/private partnerships.
Regulatory enablers, including waste avoidance acts, high landfill levies and carbon reduction incentives.
Circular economy
The shift from a linear to a circular economy, to promote sustainability, is well illustrated by the Woodlawn eco-precinct.
Veolia’s motto: “Let no waste be wasted” directs their focus to ensuring that all energy and material produced on site is reused and repurposed.
The integrated site now accepts 40% of Sydney’s putrescible waste, and for the past few years, waste from the surrounding regions as well.
The facility began as a State Significant Development (SSD). Some stakeholders believe that it has now evolved into State Significant Infrastructure (SSI) – providing essential services for NSW.
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