Published on Wednesday, 26 February 2025 at 3:00:35 PM
Traditionally, the role of Local Government in Australia has been to oversee the ‘three Rs’, Roads, Rates and Rubbish – and Council assured the effective management of rubbish over the next 30-plus years at Tuesday's Council Meeting, with a commitment to go ahead with the Myrup Waste Management Facility (Myrup WMF) Project.
“Council has committed to the $26M Myrup Waste Management Facility Project, that will provide the modern waste management facility to meet our community needs” said Shire President Ron Chambers.
“We didn’t make this decision lightly. Waste disposal is a core function of Local Government, and we thought long and hard about the financial implications, current and future residential and business needs, and the fast approaching closure of the Wylie Bay Landfill for general waste.”
“Five other comprehensively researched options presented to Council would have required multiple smaller projects to get the same result”, Ron continued. “It would have taken much longer and ended up costing more. This commitment to the full Project will give our ratepayers and community the best outcome.”
This final commitment to the Myrup WMF comes after years of planning, assessment, and dedicated work to explore and evaluate the financial ramifications of alternative solutions and community preferences. Numerous research documents such as the Waste Transport Cost v Landfill Assessment Report and the Myrup Waste Management Facility Design Basis Report were commissioned and taken into account. The Report to Council gives an overview of the process so far, a full cost breakdown for the Project, and a matrix describing six well researched options to move ahead, with the changes required, pros and cons for each option.
“We know the pressures the community is under with cost of living pressures” continued President Chambers, “and have already moved to reduce project costs by completing bulk earthworks beforehand.”
“Importantly for Council and Shire financial objectives in coming years the design is future-proofed, with the ability to accommodate future increases of 50% on current tonnages. This will minimise spending over the expected 30-plus year life of this facility. The need to be financially accountable into the future for our ratepayers was an important consideration in our deliberations.”
The Myrup WMF will deliver a fully integrated facility with a range of recycling and waste management services for the Esperance town as well as the wider region. The Project will provide a centralised location for these services, consisting of the existing Truck Wash and Liquid Waste Facility, a new modern Community Drop Off, a new Waste Transfer Station and a relocated Materials Recovery Facility from the Shire’s Wylie Bay Waste Management Facility.
The Materials Recovery Facility will provide a modern, best-practice complex to continue diversion of recyclables from ending up in landfill. One integrated facility will manage the recycling collected from the Shire’s kerbside collections, commercial operations and the Community drop-off area.
The Waste Transfer Station will consolidate the mixed/putrescible waste material collected from the Shire’s kerbside collections and commercial operators, and compact it into custom built trailers to be road-trained to Coolgardie Landfill.
Acting CEO Mathew Walker said “Transporting compacted waste to Coolgardie is the best outcome for our community, and it’s expected this will only be one additional road train on the road to Coolgardie per day once the facility is up and running in 2027”.
“The Community Drop Off area will include a Tip Shop and Education building, and we’re excited to share the new facilities with our community.”
The planned Food Organics Garden Organics (FOGO) component will be actioned in Stage 2 of the Facility.
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