Whakatane landfill transformed

What was once the Whakatane landfill will soon be green pastures and lush with native plantings. The Burma Road landfill was closed on 31 December last year and is currently undergoing a transformation that will see the site completely capped with clay, covered in topsoil and replanted in pasture and native bush.

Whakatane District Council’s Director of Works and Services, Haydn Read, said that the Burma Road landfill was the last operating landfill in the district, and had been closed for a number of reasons. Mr Read said, “with the completion of the resource consent, and the landfill reaching its full capacity, the rehabilitation plans for Ngati Awa’s farm are in full swing”.

Recyclables, timber, metals, concrete and tyres will continue to be recovered at the Council’s Te Tahi Street site and the remaining 14,000 tonnes per year of residual waste is now transported to a landfill in Waikato.

The Burma Road landfill restoration involves capping of more than three hectares land, with a 600 mm deep layer of compacted soil. Some of the site was capped during 2006-7. Once the restoration is complete the land-owners, Ngati Awa, intend to use most of the site for grazing.

Mr Read said that the landfill restoration project itself had several innovative waste-saving solutions that included the use of composted green waste in the topsoil, using shredded green waste as mulch and the use of crushed concrete to form site tracks.

Mr Read said that the Council had been working closely with Environment Bay of Plenty to ensure rat control measures were increased in the nearby Ohope Scenic Reserve. Mr Read said, “the rat’s food source has disappeared with the landfill closure and so increased predator control is needed in the adjacent bush reserves to provide protection for local birdlife, particularly kiwi.”

Mr Read goes on to say in spite of the closure, landfills have on-going management of many environmental issues, such as leachate, gas and pests.

“Once capping of the site is complete gas wells will be installed to ensure the safe ventilation of landfill gases, and depending upon quantities, the gas may be able to be used for other purposes. Collection of leachate and gas will be an on-going responsibility for Council for many years to come until, eventually, the waste stabilises,” said Mr Read.

Peter Askey from Opus, the Council’s engineering consultants, said, “to protect the nearby waterway from the 40m3 of leachate that flows from the old landfill site each day, the leachate is collected, pumped to the sewer at Hillcrest and is treated for contaminants.”