Capping project underway at landfill

FOR the first time, geosynthetic cell capping at Ballarat Regional Landfill is underway.

The $2.6 million project, funded by the City of Ballarat, will cap cells in line with Environmental Protection Authority requirements.

Cells are large spaces dug at Ballarat Regional Landfill where waste is layered and compacted.

Cell caping prevents contamination, protecting residents, wildlife and the environment.

A geosynthetic clay liner is applied followed by a layer of low-density polyethylene and then subsoil and topsoil.

Vegetation is then planted to stabilise the ground and reduce erosion from rainwater runoff.

“The City of Ballarat is committed to the best processes of containment and ongoing management of our waste,” said Mayor Cr Des Hudson.

“This is one of our largest landfill capping projects ever undertaken and these cells fill very quickly.

“We need to work together to recycle and reduce as much of our waste going to landfill as possible.”

The work is being completed in two stages when weather permits.

The first stage was recently completed and the second will start in summer and be completed in June 2025.

Everything City of Ballarat residents dispose of ends up at Ballarat Regional Landfill at Smythesdale.

More than 23,000 tonnes of waste from 50,000 homes were sent to the landfill in the 2022 to 2023 financial year.