Toowoomba Waste Management Centre - Landfill Gas Project (Revoked)

Toowoomba Waste Management Centre - Landfill Gas Project (Revoked) was a waste sector project located at the Toowoomba Waste Management Centre in Cranley, approximately 6km northwest of the Toowoomba CBD in Queensland. Registered in November 2017, the project operated on the council's primary landfill site, which serves the Darling Downs region. The surrounding Cranley area is situated on the urban fringe, transitioning into the agricultural land use typical of the region, including cropping and grazing.

The project utilized the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the destruction of methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by decomposing organic waste, that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere. By installing a gas collection system (wells and pipes), the project captured this gas and combusted it, converting the methane into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential.

The project was voluntarily revoked under section 30 of the CFI Rule in January 2020. However, this revocation appears to be administrative rather than a cessation of activity. The Toowoomba Regional Council subsequently entered a long-term partnership with LGI Limited to manage the site's biogas. This collaboration led to the commissioning of a power station that uses the captured landfill gas to generate renewable electricity, primarily powering the nearby Wetalla Water Reclamation Facility. This "behind-the-meter" arrangement, the first of its kind in Queensland, saves the council significant energy costs while continuing to abate carbon emissions.

Environmentally, the Toowoomba region is characterized by its fertile volcanic soils, specifically deep red ferrosols and black vertosols (cracking clays), which are famous in the Darling Downs for supporting agriculture. The area experiences a humid subtropical climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 735mm, peaking during the summer months. The management of landfill gas in this environment is critical not only for emissions reduction but also for controlling odors in the growing residential corridors nearby.