Key Projects
Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility is City of Darwin’s waste and recycling management facility as well as a renewable energy facility.
The facility services the greater Darwin region and is the only licensed landfill in the area.
Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility receives over 180,000 tonnes of waste per annum and has a forecasted operational life until 2034. To improve ongoing operational management and meet increasing regulatory and environmental standards, a number of upgrades are underway to advance the facility for the future.
What are the Upgrades at Shoal Bay?
A number of upgrades to services and facilities at Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility are underway.
Additional Landfill Cells
A new landfill cell is currently being viewed for construction. The new cell has been designed to ensure the latest environmental and stormwater management processes are in place.
A Masterplan for the Future
The new cell and future upgrades are part of the development of a site masterplan. The Shoal Bay Waste Management facility is forecasted to remain operational until 2034 and the masterplan will be the roadmap for future upgrades and activities at the site - maximising the use of the area and incorporating the opportunity for new technological advancements in the future.
A key component of the masterplan includes redesigning the site entrance and construction of a new weighbridge.
Environmental Management
Over $4M of environmental management improvements have been completed at the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility. This included the construction of two new leachate storage basins with a combined capacity of 30 mega litres. These basins will be used to safely store leachate collected at the site while a pilot treatment program is carried out.
Simulated Wetlands Pilot Treatment Program
The unique nature of the Shoal Bay Waste Management site, tropical zone and location has required a fit-for-purpose solution to address the treatment of leachate. The Water and Carbon Group has been appointed to conduct a pilot trial simulating engineered wetlands that use biological processes to treat leachate. In 2017/18 Council has allocated $1M towards this leading edge research for leachate treatment at the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility. It is expected that the pilot trial will help to shape the design and operation of the full-scale system that will be used in the future.
Responsible Officer: Nik Klein, Executive Manager Program Management - Project Delivery team