Eastern Creek Ecology Park
Our story
BINGO Industries (BINGO) is a recycling and waste management company providing essential recycling and waste management service in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Our integrated services are focused on the collection, separation, processing and recycling of Building and Demolition (B&D) and Commercial and Industrial (C&I) waste. We strive for continual innovation and development of technology, services and practices as part of our commitment to developing leading waste management and environmental solutions. The Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park (REP) in Sydney is one of the most advanced waste recycling facilities in Australia. The new Materials Processing Centre (MPC) 2, is capable of achieving rates of diversion from landfill of up to 90%. Already much of the material recycled at the Eastern Creek REP is being used in construction and infrastructure projects across NSW. Landfill capacity in Sydney is very limited and at present rates will be exhausted in 2028. The Eastern Creek REP has an important role to play in providing an environmentally sustainable and enduring solution to dealing with Sydney’s waste and limited landfill supply.
The team
BINGO has an exemplary team of people to implement the operational and development activities that will be taking place at the Eastern Creek REP, led by BINGO’s Head of Engineering & Construction, Jason Goodman.
For community enquiries
Rommel Varghese, Head of Public Affairs
[email protected]
(M) 0460 822 310
Our site
BINGO acquired the Recycling Ecology Park (REP), formerly known as the Genesis Xero Recycling and Landfill Facility, from Dial a Dump Industries in February 2019.
The REP is a 52.4-hectare site, that comprises a fully operational Materials Processing Centre 1 (MPC1), a state-of-the-art, recycling facility - Materials Processing Centre 2 (MPC2) the world’s largest recycling facility of its type, a segregated materials processing area and a general solid waste (non-putrescible) landfill.
BINGO is committed to ensuring any future development of the site will go through appropriate community consultation and engagement processes.
BINGO has operated the Eastern Creek REP since 2019. The Eastern Creek REP only takes inert, non-putrescible waste and this is typically from commercial, construction and industrial sources.
The Eastern Creek REP is one of the most advanced waste recycling facilities within Australia. The new MPC2, is capable of achieving rates of diversion from landfill of up to 90%. Already much of the material recycled at the Eastern Creek REP is being used in construction and infrastructure projects across NSW.
Landfill capacity in Sydney is very limited and at present rates will be exhausted in 2028. The Eastern Creek REP has an important role to play in providing an environmentally sustainable and enduring solution to dealing with Sydney’s waste and limited landfill supply.
Community Information Day
BINGO invites residents around the Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park (REP) on 4 and 18 March 2023 to visit our facility and meet our project leads to discuss the various projects being undertaken at the REP.
How do we manage landfill gas at Eastern Creek REP?
BINGO has installed a series of temporary flares as part of its advanced gas collection and management system at its Eastern Creek landfill..
BINGO has submitted a development application as required under the site’s Environmental Protection Licence (EPL13426) to build on the success of the temporary landfill gas collection and treatment system, and provide a more permanent, long-term sustainable landfill gas treatment solution to reduce the environmental impact of gases that would be otherwise discharged to the atmosphere from the landfill. A community consultation report on the permanent flare application was finalised in December 2021.
The permanent landfill gas capture project will combust gas derived from the Eastern Creek landfill with up to 85 percent destruction efficiency within two permanent, enclosed flares at a rate of 3000 standard cubic metres per hour. An indicative illustration of the permanent flare infrastructure is shown in the figure.
Development Activities
Materials Processing Centre 2 (MPC2)
BINGO commenced construction of MPC2 in January 2020 and received Occupational Certificate in June 2022. For details of the MPC2 development application please click here.
MPC2 is Australia’s largest and most advanced dry mixed waste recycling plant, capable of enhanced materials recovery and recycled products manufacturing. MPC2 will help increase recovery rates for Sydney’s building and demolition and commercial and industrial waste volumes and significantly contribute to the NSW Sustainable Waste and Materials Strategy and circular economy outcomes with enhanced recycled product manufacturing.
The proposal seeks to relocate existing approved recycling activities to two new fully enclosed facilities on the western side of the existing operational area. The modification would improve the environmental performance of these existing approved processing activities and improve stormwater outcomes across the Recycling Ecology Park. It is anticipated that the modification application will be submitted to the Department of Planning and Environment before June 2023.
Timber picking station (Modification 11)
To achieve higher resource recovery rates from the timber product stream and reduce the volume of recyclable timber being sent to landfill, BINGO is installing a manual (enclosed) timber picking station. The picking station is to be located at the end of the existing approved materials sorting process with the separated engineered and natural timber passing through the picking station for further sorting before being sent to the existing stockpile areas located within the approved timber yard. This modification application was approved by Department of Planning and Environment in August 2022.
Permanent flare relocation (Modification 12)
This approval sought to change the location of the permanent enclosed landfill gas flare compound (as approved under Modification 10) to optimise the utilisation of land associated with the Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park and to improve design, operational and environmental outcomes. The proposed new location is preferrable as it will facilitate easier connection to the electricity grid should the gas collection and flare system be upgraded for power generation in the future while also preserving land dedicated to resource recovery activities. This modification application was approved by Department of Planning and Environment in October 2022.
Sustainable fuel production (Modification 13)
BINGO secured approval to formalise the use of existing approved product streams as a Refuse Derived Fuel. The modification supports the use of shredded residual timber waste which is made up of the non-recyclable engineered wood and timber that is separated as part of the resource recovery process at the Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park. Prior to approval of this project this material was landfilled onsite and lost to the economy. The fuel is used at external facilities that have lawful consent to do so. Our sustainable fuels will provide a cost-effective alternative to help accelerate our customers’ transition from fossil fuels like coal to a more sustainable alternative. The proposal is not associated with any energy from waste facilities in Western Sydney.
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In March 2021 and again in March 2022, following unprecedented rain events, significant volumes of water entered the landfill resulting in increased odour.
After investigations to identify the problem and find the best solutions, BINGO installed an advanced gas collection and management system, comprising a network of wells and flares, in June 2021 to burn off odour-causing gases.
This advanced management system is now fully commissioned and has substantially reduced odour emissions. BINGO continues to conduct odour surveys in surrounding communities and has a dedicated team monitoring the surface of the landfill.
BINGO received approval from the Department of Planning and Environment for permanent flare infrastructure in March 2022.
After over 12 months of planning, design, and construction, the two permanent flares at BINGO’s Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park (REP) have been certified and operational since 23 December 2022.
A gas collection network of over two kilometres of piping and over 70 wells is now delivering landfill gas to our new permanent flares.
The flares are designed to provide ongoing landfill gas management at very high levels of efficacy, with a capacity to treat up to 3,000 m3 per hour and are designed with a methane destruction efficiency greater than 99%. This helps lower emissions and improves environmental outcomes for the Eastern Creek site and the local community.
A catalyst for change
BINGO recovered 48,014 tonnes of metal in FY23, this is equivalent to removing 28,797 cars off the road for one year
Frequently
asked questions
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Reach out to our customer support team.
When landfill gas is combusted in a flare, hydrogen sulphide is converted (oxidised) to sulphur dioxide, with nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. A detailed air quality assessment has been undertaken which considers all of these potential emission pathways, and pollutants noted above. The preliminary findings of the air quality impact assessment indicate that the concentrations of all pollutants assessed are below the NSW Environment Protection Authority air quality criteria, at all residential and industrial locations surrounding the Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park. Health and safety, environmental and sustainability benefits Overall, LFG flaring and generation projects significantly improve the environment because of the significant methane emission reductions and supporting the achievement of air pollutant reductions. The proposed permanent flare at Eastern Creek REP will result in approximately 265,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent avoided each year, which equates to an annual greenhouse gas emission reduction of 68 percent. Flaring LFG to manage landfill gas destroys most of the non-methane organic compounds (including air pollutants) that are present at low concentrations in landfill gas, which reduces possible health risks. A summary of other key benefits of the proposed landfill gas capture project are: The capture of a large proportion of LFG; Allows the treatment by combustion of the captured LFG, which: oxidises methane (CH4) to carbon dioxide (CO2), thereby reducing the greenhouse gas impact of those emissions; and oxidises odorous gases (such as H2S) to less-odorous compounds. What is the ass
BINGO is currently planning for three projects on the Eastern Creek site.
- Recycling Infrastructure Optimisation Project: a State Significant Development (SSD) application to increase the throughput of the REP for recycling purposes. Click here to view project details.
- Western Operational Area Site Improvements: an application to modify the current approval for the Western Operational Area along the boundary facing Ropes Creek. Click here to view project details.
- Landfill Gas Capture Project: an application for a permanent and sustainable flare system to manage any residual gas within the landfill was approved by DPE in March 2022.
BINGO have recently identified the need to relocate the approved permanent flare/s compound to improve design, operational and environmental outcomes. The permanent flare/s infrastructure at the approved location is in the final stages of design and has not yet been constructed. An alternate location has been identified on the opposite side of the landfill as shown in the figure below.
We thank everyone who attended the community webinars in November 2021 and for those who have provided feedback either in the session or through submissions to us. We have also been speaking with our immediate neighbors to understand their feedback. We are now considering this feedback before lodging our applications.
There will be future opportunities to provide feedback on both the Recycling Infrastructure Optimisation Project and the Western Operational Area Site Improvements project when these are placed on public exhibition by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment in 2022.
We will provide further updates as the proposals progress.
BINGO have recently identified the need to relocate the approved permanent flare/s compound to improve design, operational and environmental outcomes. The permanent flare/s infrastructure at the approved location is in the final stages of design and has not yet been constructed. An alternate location has been identified on the opposite side of the landfill as shown in this image.
To facilitate relocation of the flare compound, BINGO is required to prepare a modification application for lodgement with the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE), which is currently in preparation.
- - Timber Picking Station Project: an application for installation of timber picking station following processing in MPC2 to drive improved resource recovery outcomes for separation of engineered and non-engineered timber. Click here to view further details
It is important to note none of these applications will involve a change to the type of waste received at the Eastern Creek REP. Consistent with existing approvals, the facility will not take putrescible waste. Members of the public are able to provide feedback on the Recycling Infrastructure Optimisation Project which is on public exhibition until August 10 2022. There will also be an opportunity to provide feedback on the Western Operational Area Site Improvements project when it is placed on public exhibition by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
We will provide further updates as the proposals progress.
BINGO acknowledges that each aspect of the waste management hierarchy fulfills an important role in an effective best practice waste management and resource recovery system, and that each aspect plays a different and significant role due to regulatory, economic, and environmental factors. Managing waste in accord with this hierarchy including the disposal of residual waste to modern landfills, is an essential service. Even at the highest levels of resource recovery in a circular economy, there will be a continuing need to dispose of some residual waste to landfill (considered as leakage under the circular economy model) to protect human health and the environment. Although disposal of waste in landfill sites falls at the bottom of waste hierarchy, landfill will remain a necessary part of NSW waste strategy into the foreseeable future for wastes that cannot be re-used, recycled, or recovered. BINGO’s focus remains on diverting as much waste as possible from landfill. It is important to note that although Eastern Creek REP landfill is not licensed to, nor accepts putrescible wastes, the material which is permitted to be landfilled does contain organic material (such as wood waste, garden waste, paper and cardboard). This material can degrade to result in emissions of methane and other landfill gases. LFG destruction in a properly designed and operated control device, such as a flare or energy recovery unit, is preferable to uncontrolled release of landfill gas for managing health and environmental impacts associated with landfill gas. In fact, many of the large landfills in Sydney licensed to receive general solid waste have landfill gas capture flare systems and/or energy recovery systems in place
BINGO has consulted extensively with the local community. On 4, 9 and 11 November 2021, BINGO held three community webinar sessions to seek feedback on the planning activities proposed for the Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park (REP) site. Invitations to these webinars were sent in a newsletter to local community and businesses. We received feedback that not all nearby residents or businesses received this newsletter, and others did not have sufficient time to participate.
To ensure all community members had the opportunity to provide their feedback and ask any questions, BINGO held two additional community webinar sessions on 11 and 13 December 2021. The community webinar sessions provided an update on the proposals and answered queries BINGO received through the consultation process.
Community Webinar Presentation materials:
Eastern Creek Recycling Ecology Park Community Webinar FAQs:
If you have any questions about the community webinar sessions or the proposals, please send an email to [email protected]
Feedback provided at all of the community webinars sessions, together with written submissions received, will help inform BINGO’s approach to these proposals prior to any planning application being made.
Community newsletters
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Community Update Newsletter (Updated)
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