Kemps Creek SAWT Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) Facility

Kemps Creek SAWT Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) Facility is an Alternative Waste Treatment project located in Kemps Creek, approximately 45km west of the Sydney CBD and 15km southeast of Penrith in New South Wales. It was registered in June 2013 by the project proponent Veolia Recycling & Recovery ANZ Pty Limited and covers an unknown area size, operating within the boundaries of the waste processing facility itself.

Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) projects earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by diverting mixed solid waste that would otherwise be sent to a landfill. Instead of being landfilled, the waste is processed using eligible technologies such as enclosed composting, anaerobic digestion, or the manufacture of process engineered fuel. The standard requirement for this methodology is that it must demonstrate the avoidance of methane emissions that would have naturally occurred as organic waste decomposes in a landfill environment, supported by continuous monitoring and historical waste evidence.

The Kemps Creek area is situated within the Greater Western Sydney region, an area transitioning from semi-rural land uses, like grazing and market gardens, into a major hub for general industrial facilities, waste management, and the new Western Sydney Airport. The local environment is characterised by moderate rainfall compared to the wetter coastal areas of Sydney. The regional soils are predominantly clay-based and fall under the Blacktown, Luddenham, and South Creek soil landscapes, which are known to be moderately saline and prone to erosion or subsidence under heavy rains.

An interesting note about this project is that it transitioned from an earlier revoked Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) method to the updated 2015 Alternative Waste Treatment methodology. At this specific facility, mixed solid waste is processed largely using an enclosed composting technology. Additionally, the project held a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC369871) with the Commonwealth, successfully completing its fixed delivery obligation of 285,247 ACCUs in December 2021.