Blaxland Landfill Gas Project

The Blaxland Landfill Gas Project is a waste management and emissions reduction project located at the Blaxland Waste Management Facility, approximately 70km west of Sydney in the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales. Registered in May 2015, the project operates within the Blaxland facility, which serves as the primary landfill for the Blue Mountains City Council area. The site is situated in a region characterized by rugged sandstone plateaus, eucalyptus forests, and residential areas, operating as a "Special Purpose Waste Management Facility" surrounded by bushland.

This 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 wells and pipes, into the landfill mass to capture methane generated by decomposing organic waste. Instead of venting into the atmosphere, this gas is directed to a combustion device (such as a flare or generator) where it is burned, converting the potent methane into less harmful carbon dioxide. The Blaxland project specifically targets gas from both "legacy" (deposited before July 2012) and "non-legacy" waste, upgrading the site's environmental management infrastructure.

The Blue Mountains region is a temperate, high-rainfall environment, receiving approximately 950mm to 1000mm of rain annually. The local geology is dominated by the Sydney Basin's Hawkesbury Sandstone, resulting in soils that are typically sandy loams or clays with low fertility and high erodibility. The project has seen significant activity, with a contract period running from November 2016 to June 2022. Notably, the landfill itself recently underwent a major extension to prolong its operational life by another 15 years, and the site has implemented advanced odour management systems (VapourGard) to mitigate impacts on the nearby community.