Molendinar Landfill Gas Project

The Molendinar Landfill Gas Project is a waste sector project located at the Molendinar Waste and Recycling Centre, approximately 7km west of Southport on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Registered in July 2014, the project operates within an industrial precinct surrounded by the mixed residential and commercial zones of the Gold Coast.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. Landfill gas projects involve the installation of gas collection systems, comprising vertical wells and horizontal piping, to capture methane generated by the decomposition of legacy and non-legacy organic waste. Instead of venting this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, the system captures and combusts it, converting the methane into carbon dioxide and water, often generating renewable electricity in the process.

The Gold Coast region is characterized by a humid subtropical climate with high rainfall, typically exceeding 1,200mm annually. While the project site itself is an engineered landfill with capped surfaces, the surrounding region features soils ranging from coastal sands to red podzolic clays and loams in the hinterland.

Operated by LMS Energy Pty Ltd, this project successfully transitioned from the earlier "Legacy Waste" method under the Carbon Farming Initiative. A notable achievement for the project is the completion of its Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC726270) with the Australian Government in June 2022, marking a successful delivery of its contracted abatement obligations.