North Bannister Landfill Gas Capture and Combustion project

North Bannister Landfill Gas Capture and Combustion project is a landfill gas capture project located at the North Bannister Resource Recovery Park, 94km south-southeast of Perth in Western Australia. It was registered in November 2018, though the exact project area size is unspecified.

Landfill gas projects involve the installation of a gas collection system, such as horizontal and vertical extraction wells, to capture methane-rich gas as organic waste decomposes. This captured gas is then combusted via a flare or an energy recovery facility, converting the potent methane into less harmful carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The North Bannister area sits within the Wheatbelt region, which is known for broadacre agriculture such as cereal cropping, sheep and cattle grazing, alongside some state forestry operations. The region experiences moderate annual rainfall of around 600mm, and soils are generally characterized as gravel-based laterites and moderately fertile brown to grey-brown sandy loams.

This project was set up to capture and combust gas generated from legacy and non-legacy waste at a major valley-style putrescible landfill. Interestingly, the site also houses a major composting facility that processes Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) waste from over 70,000 Western Australian households to create high-quality compost. The carbon project is operated by VELMS Joint Venture Pty Ltd, with the wider waste facility having historical and operational ties to Perthwaste, SUEZ, LMS Energy, and Veolia.