Maitland Landfill Gas Project

The Maitland Landfill Gas Project is a waste sector emissions avoidance operation located at the Maitland Resource Recovery Facility (formerly the Mount Vincent Road Waste Management Centre), approximately 5 kilometers southeast of the Maitland CBD in New South Wales. Registered in March 2014, the project is developed and operated by LMS Energy Pty Ltd, a leading Australian bioenergy company, in partnership with the Maitland City Council.

Operating under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015, the project involves the installation of a network of wells and piping to extract biogas (methane) generated by the decomposition of organic matter within the landfill. This captured gas is then combusted, converting potent methane into carbon dioxide and water, thereby significantly reducing the facility's greenhouse gas impact. The project is notable for transitioning from the original "Legacy Waste" determination to the 2015 method, allowing it to manage emissions from both historical and active waste streams.

The project is situated in the Lower Hunter Valley, a region characterized by a warm temperate climate and moderate-to-high rainfall, which can accelerate waste decomposition rates. The surrounding landscape historically features alluvial floodplains and clay-loam soils supporting grazing and mixed farming, though the immediate project area is a dedicated industrial and waste management precinct approximately 30km northwest of Newcastle.

A key feature of this project's history is its participation in the Emissions Reduction Fund; it was contracted in March 2014 and has successfully completed its Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC164941), delivering the full volume of contracted abatement to the Australian Government.