Kemps Creek SAWT Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) Facility

The Kemps Creek SAWT Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) Facility is an Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) project located in the suburb of Kemps Creek, approximately 45km west of the Sydney CBD in New South Wales. Registered in June 2013, the project operates within the Kemps Creek Resource Recovery Park, a major waste management precinct surrounded by industrial developments and the remnants of the region's historical semi-rural market gardening and grazing lands.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Alternative Waste Treatment) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the avoidance of methane emissions that would have occurred if Mixed Solid Waste (MSW) were deposited in a landfill. Instead, the facility diverts this waste into an Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) plant. The specific technology employed at Kemps Creek involves an enclosed tunnel composting system, where organic material from the waste stream is processed under controlled aerobic conditions to produce compost-like soil conditioners, thereby preventing the anaerobic decay that generates potent greenhouse gases.

Regionally, the Kemps Creek area lies on the Cumberland Plain, characterized by the Wianamatta Shale formation. Consequently, the local environment typically features heavy clay and loam soils, often described as Red Podzolic or Chromosols, which can be prone to waterlogging. The area experiences a warm temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 800mm.

The facility has a notable corporate history, reflecting the consolidation of the Australian waste industry. Originally commissioned by SITA Environmental Solutions (later SUEZ) in 2008/2009, the project is now operated by Veolia Recycling & Recovery ANZ Pty Ltd following Veolia's acquisition of SUEZ's Australian assets in 2021. Interestingly, while Veolia was required by the ACCC to divest the adjacent dry waste landfill to Cleanaway, the SAWT facility and this associated carbon project were retained. The project successfully completed its carbon abatement contract in December 2021, delivering over 285,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).