Suntown Landfill Gas Project

Suntown Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas project located at the decommissioned Suntown Landfill in Arundel, approximately 10km northwest of the Gold Coast CBD in Queensland. It was registered in July 2014. While the exact project area is officially listed as unknown, the project spans the footprint of the former municipal waste facility. The surrounding Arundel and Molendinar area is heavily urbanised, featuring a mix of residential suburbs, industrial estates, and nearby coastal conservation reserves. The Gold Coast region is known for its humid subtropical climate with high coastal rainfall. Natural soils in the vicinity typically consist of alluvial clays and coastal sandy loams, though the immediate project site is a highly modified, capped landfill.

Landfill gas projects operate by installing extraction wells and infrastructure to capture methane-rich gas generated by the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter. Standard requirements for this methodology involve safely capturing this greenhouse gas and either combusting it via flares or using it to generate electricity, which significantly reduces the site's overall global warming impact.

Under the management of proponent LMS Energy Pty Ltd, the project initially operated under the 2012 legacy waste method before transitioning to the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. It continues to actively capture and combust gas from both legacy and non-legacy waste. The broader Suntown site has a notable public history. In 2013, nearby residents launched a class action regarding the release of landfill gas and leachate into adjacent properties, which was settled confidentially in 2017. Following its closure, the former landfill underwent extensive ecological restoration by local environmental groups. Additionally, the site was considered for storing Supercars race infrastructure, though the local council ultimately earmarked the Suntown location for future community initiatives from 2023. On the carbon front, the project has been highly successful; it fulfilled a 2017 Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC726270), which was completed in June 2022 after delivering over 200,000 ACCUs to the Australian Government.