Horsley Park Landfill Gas Project

The Horsley Park Landfill Gas Project is a waste emissions avoidance project located in the industrial suburb of Horsley Park, approximately 40 kilometers west of the Sydney CBD in New South Wales. Registered in December 2012, the project operates within the boundary of the Horsley Park Waste Management Facility, a site historically significant for the region's waste processing needs. The facility is situated in a mixed-use precinct, bordered by heavy industry and the conservation areas of the Western Sydney Parklands.

The project operates under the Landfill Gas (CFI) methodology. This process involves the installation of gas collection wells into the landfill mass to extract landfill gas (LFG), which is primarily composed of methane generated by decomposing organic waste. Instead of venting this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, the captured gas is piped to a combustion unit, typically a flare or internal combustion engine, where it is burned to convert the methane into less harmful carbon dioxide.

The Western Sydney region generally experiences a warm temperate climate with mean annual rainfall of approximately 800mm. The local geology is dominated by Wianamatta Shale, which produces heavy clay soils (often Chromosols or Dermosols). These naturally impermeable clay soils are geologically ideal for landfill sites as they provide a natural barrier that minimizes the risk of leachate migrating into groundwater.

A notable aspect of this project is its transition from the original "Legacy Waste" determination under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) to the current method, allowing it to generate credits from both legacy (pre-2012) and non-legacy waste streams. While Veolia has indicated that the Horsley Park facility is no longer operational for general public waste disposal, the gas extraction project continues, as landfills continue to generate significant volumes of methane for decades after closure. The project successfully completed its Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC254087) in November 2022, fulfilling its delivery obligations to the Australian Government.