Cairns Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) Facility

Cairns Advanced Resource Recovery Technology (ARRT) Facility is a waste project located in the industrial suburb of Portsmith, approximately 5km south of the Cairns CBD in Far North Queensland. Registered in July 2013, the project was originally developed under the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) before transitioning to the Emissions Reduction Fund. The facility was designed to process mixed solid waste from the Cairns, Douglas, and Mareeba regions, diverting it from landfill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The project operates under the Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) methodology. This method credits emission reductions achieved by processing mixed municipal and commercial waste, that would otherwise be deposited in a landfill, into compost, biogas, or process-engineered fuel. In this specific case, the facility utilized "Bedminster" technology, a mechanical biological treatment process involving large enclosed rotating drums to compost organic waste. By diverting this organic material from anaerobic conditions in landfills, the project avoids the generation of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

The Cairns region is characterized by a tropical monsoon climate with high rainfall, averaging over 2,000mm annually, particularly during the wet season. The Portsmith area, situated on coastal flats near Trinity Inlet, historically consists of marine sediments, clays, and mudflats, much of which has been reclaimed for industrial use. The broader region supports diverse land uses including tourism, sugar cane cultivation, and tropical horticulture.

While the project successfully completed its carbon abatement contract in 2022, recent operational changes have occurred. The project's crediting period expired in December 2021. Furthermore, reports from the Cairns Regional Council indicate that following a fire incident involving hazardous materials, the ARRT facility ceased composting operations around January 2025 and transitioned to functioning as a bulk waste transfer station, with waste subsequently transported to the Atherton Tablelands.