Port Macquarie Hastings Council Avoided Emissions from Diverting Legacy Waste from Landfill through a Mechanical Processing, Separation, and Stabilisation, and Enclosed Aerobic Composting Alternative Waste Treatment Facility

Port Macquarie Hastings Council Avoided Emissions from Diverting Legacy Waste from Landfill through a Mechanical Processing, Separation, and Stabilisation, and Enclosed Aerobic Composting Alternative Waste Treatment Facility is an Alternative Waste Treatment project located approximately 4km southwest of the Port Macquarie CBD on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. It was registered in December 2013 and covers an unknown area size, which is typical for industrial waste management footprints that are strictly bound to the facility rather than broad agricultural hectares.

Alternative Waste Treatment projects involve diverting eligible municipal, commercial, or industrial solid waste away from traditional landfills and processing it in specialized facilities. By utilizing enclosed composting, anaerobic digestion, or mechanical separation, these projects prevent the generation of methane gas that naturally occurs during organic decomposition in a landfill. The methodology requires the facility to strictly measure the volume and category of eligible waste being processed to calculate the avoided emissions.

The Port Macquarie region is characterized by a high rainfall, sub-tropical coastal climate. Surrounding regional land uses generally feature coastal urban development, forestry operations, and agricultural activities such as beef and dairy cattle grazing. Local soil types heavily consist of coastal sands, podzolic soils, and alluvial clay loams near river systems.

This specific project transitioned from a revoked Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) method to the 2015 Alternative Waste Treatment determination, which involved constructing a new state-of-the-art facility. It successfully divers mixed solid legacy waste from the local landfill, using an enclosed aerobic composting technology to produce a unique combustible fuel substitute. Working alongside Corporate Carbon Advisory Pty Ltd as their agent, the Port Macquarie Hastings Council successfully completed its fixed-delivery Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC176776) in June 2023, delivering 78,000 ACCUs to the Commonwealth over a seven-year delivery period.