Astra Street Landfill Gas Project

Astra Street Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas capture project located at the former Astra Street Landfill in Shortland, approximately 12km northwest of the Newcastle CBD in New South Wales. Registered in March 2025, the project sits on a site spanning roughly 60 hectares, immediately adjacent to the RAMSAR-listed Hunter Wetlands Centre. The surrounding land use is a mix of residential suburbs, recreational facilities (such as the Newcastle Golf Practice Centre), and significant conservation wetlands.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Landfill Gas) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology credits the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions achieved by installing or upgrading gas collection systems to capture methane generated from decomposing waste. By capturing and combusting this methane (flaring), the project converts it into carbon dioxide, which has a significantly lower global warming potential. This specific project focuses on legacy waste deposited between 1974 and 1995, as well as non-legacy waste where applicable.

Environmentally, the Shortland region experiences a humid subtropical climate with relatively high rainfall, averaging over 1,100mm annually. The site’s soil profile has been heavily modified due to its history as a landfill; however, recent remediation works completed by the City of Newcastle involved the installation of a significant clay cap to manage drainage and protect the underlying alluvial soils and nearby aquatic ecosystems from leachate.

This project is a key component of the City of Newcastle's broader sustainability strategy. The Council has flagged the Astra Street site for development into a "Community Energy Precinct," with plans to integrate the gas collection system with a proposed 5MW solar farm, battery storage, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The landfill originally operated from 1974 to 1995 and accepted waste from across the Hunter region.