Banksia Landfill Gas Upgrade Project

Banksia Landfill Gas Upgrade Project is a landfill gas project located at the Banksia Road Waste Disposal Site in Crooked Brook, approximately 15km southeast of Bunbury and 4km southeast of Dardanup in Western Australia. It was registered in October 2022. While the project registry lists coordinates and a postcode (6326) that correspond to the Albany region, this appears to be a clerical error (likely swapping the Dardanup postcode 6236); the facility is a well-known Cleanaway asset in the Shire of Dardanup. The site sits on the edge of the Whicher Scarp, bordered by the Dardanup Conservation Park to the east and agricultural land to the west.

The region has a Mediterranean climate characterised by high winter rainfall and dry summers. The local environment features soils typical of the Darling and Whicher Scarps, often consisting of sandy or lateritic profiles overlying clay. The surrounding area supports a mix of land uses including dairy and beef cattle farming, as well as significant forestry operations (pine and bluegum plantations) in the adjacent state forests.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology incentivises the installation or upgrade of gas collection systems to capture methane generated by decomposing waste. By combusting this methane (either via flaring or electricity generation), the project converts it into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential. The Banksia project specifically focuses on upgrading the existing collection infrastructure to improve capture efficiency from both legacy (historical) and non-legacy waste streams.

The Banksia Road Landfill handles Class III putrescible waste and has been operational since 1999, with Cleanaway taking over operations in 2006. The site has been the subject of various environmental reviews regarding cell expansion and groundwater monitoring to ensure the safety of the underlying aquifers. It serves as a critical waste management hub for the Greater Bunbury region.