The ACT government has been advised to earmark a large block of land in Canberra's north west for a future tip and waste management site to meet demand in a growing city.
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A 300-hectare block next to Strathnairn should be set aside as a long-term option for a new resource management centre, a report commissioned by the territory said.
"This site represents a real opportunity in the medium to long term to consolidate all functions of a state-of-the-art waste management facility into a single, well located site," the report said.
A new tip and waste management facility would be built between 15 and 20 years in the future, while upgrades to the current Mitchell waste-transfer and management site could extend its useful life.
"Investment in the existing facility will not eliminate the need for a replacement facility in the long term," the report said.
The report, commissioned by Transport Canberra and City Services and completed by Cardno and Purdon Planning, considered 23 sites in Canberra's north.
"Based on the outcomes of all investigations, it has been confirmed that there is no one site in the Northern Suburbs of Canberra which stands out as the [perfect] site for this development," the report said.
The report made three recommendations to the ACT government.
First, the government should investigate how it could enlarge and upgrade the Mitchell resource management centre, located on Flemington Road.
The government should set aside Block 1634 at Belconnen as a long-term solution for a new resource management centre as a "strategic objective" to be considered as part of the government's western edge planning.
"The site has ample space for a single facility which could manage all waste streams and would be consistent with surrounding land uses including the Stockdill Drive Substation and the Lower Molonglo Valley Water Quality Control Centre," the report said.
"If the existing [Mitchell resource management centre] and proposed Block 1582 green waste facility can be designed to cope with the immediate needs of the community, this site represents a real opportunity in the medium to long term to consolidate all functions of a state-of-the-art waste management facility into a single, well-located site
The government should also review the use and constraints of Block 1582, which is next to the preferred future tip site, as a green-waste facility.
"Maximising green waste disposal on this site may alleviate the need for such a facility on the Mitchell site, allowing for implementation of a two-site model or potential medium-term colocation," the report said.
The government identified that site, off Stockdill Drive, as a new green-waste facility in January, and remains committed to site despite a development application being rejected for the project last month.
An ACT government spokesman said the study showed there were limited sites for waste facilities in Canberra's north, but the facilities would be critical as Canberra grows.
"We are acutely aware of the importance of planning for the growth of our city, that's why we're making the important planning decisions now, to make sure Canberra has the effective waste management solutions required for the future," the spokesman said.
An old tip at West Belconnen will be rehabilitated and developed as part of the Ginninderry housing developments.
About 72 per cent of waste in Canberra does not go to landfill, figures in the Transport Canberra and City Services annual report show.
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The amount of waste going to landfill in the aCT dropped by 24,000 tonnes in 2021-22 compared to the previous year, the report said.
The government is also expected to begin the procurement process for a new material recovery facility in the ACT following bans on waste exports.
Food and organic waste collections, which the government intends to roll out across Canberra, will also reduce the amount of compostable material going to landfill.
A trial, launched in November 2021 across about 5000 households in four Belconnen suburbs, has been supported by roughly three quarters of surveyed participants.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
