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 is an Alternative Waste Treatment (AWT) project located at the Cairncross Waste Management Facility in Pembrooke, approximately 20km northwest of Port Macquarie, NSW. Registered in December 2013, the project operates within the council's waste processing site, which is surrounded by a region characterized by forestry operations and grazing.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Alternative Waste Treatment) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by diverting mixed solid waste from landfills, where it would otherwise decompose anaerobically and release methane, to a treatment facility. Specifically, this project utilizes enclosed aerobic composting technology to process the waste, separating recyclable materials and stabilizing organic matter to produce a combustible fuel substitute, often referred to as Process Engineered Fuel (PEF), or compost products.

The Pembrooke and Telegraph Point region experiences a humid subtropical climate with high annual rainfall, typically exceeding 1,200mm. The local terrain features clay and loam soils that support the dense vegetation and state forests bordering the facility.

Originally transitioning from the former 'CFI' scheme, this project was developed in partnership with Corporate Carbon Advisory Pty Ltd. While the project successfully generated offsets for over a decade, recent council reports from late 2025 indicate a strategic shift for the Cairncross facility, transitioning it from a local processing plant into a transfer station due to the economic challenges of operating regional recovery facilities. The project's carbon abatement contract with the Australian Government was successfully completed in mid-2023.