Pilbara Waste Management Facility
Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility (PRWMF) is an integrated waste management facility that offers hazardous waste solutions to the Pilbara region. Located 36km south of Onslow, Western Australia, it consists of a green waste facility, construction and demolition facility, liquid waste facility, tyre mono-cell and a Class IV landfill.
Pilbara Environmental Service (PES) will operate the Class IV landfill on behalf of Shire of Ashburton. PES have the experience and technical expertise to innovatively manage, collect and treat hazardous, chemical, and other complex waste. We are a waste management provider of choice generating superior value and sustainable solutions for our customers, shareholders, communities, and the planet.
Key Objectives
The key objectives of the project are to:
- Deliver sustainable resource recovery initiatives for the Onslow region;
- Provide Best Practice waste disposal services for the Onslow region; and
- Provide Best Practice regional hazardous waste management services.
The Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility facilitates economic diversification and growth by significantly reducing the cost of managing waste, including hazardous materials for the mining, oil and gas, government and other industries throughout Onslow, the Pilbara Region and beyond.
Funding and Project Partners
The Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility is jointly funded by the Australian Government ($9 million), Chevron and Western Australian Government ($2 million) and Shire of Ashburton ($2 million).
The Shire, Chevron and the Western Australian Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation are the Key Project Partners in the delivery of the project.
The Site
A site selection process was undertaken in 2013/14 utilising best practice siting and design principles to identify a preferred site for the facility. Site selection assessment criteria and constraints mapping based on environmental, social and planning factors was used to highlight potential locations. Based on the outcomes of the site selection process, a preferred location was identified within Lot 150 Onslow Road, Thalanyji. The whole site is approximately 435 hectares in size and is located approximately 36 kilometres south of the town of Onslow on Unallocated Crown Land managed by Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. The site was subsequently subject to a desktop assessment and detailed environmental investigations, including geotechnical and hydrogeological studies which deemed it a suitable site for establishing the Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility.
The Facility
The Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility consists of resource recovery initiatives including a Greenwaste facility and Construction and Demolition Waste Facility to divert materials from landfill through recycling. Liquid Waste Facility including the fixation ponds will be developed to cater for industrial liquid waste.The facility also includes a Tyre monocell for the isolated disposal of these materials to encourage future recovery options. The total development footprint is approximately 67 hectares.
A key component of the Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility is the landfill cells. These have been designed and constructed to Best Practice landfill standards for hazardous waste (Class IV) to ensure environmental and social risks are managed appropriately. Therefore, the landfill cell consists of a double composite lining system to contain leachate and control emissions.
The facility is also operated to Best Practice landfill standards to ensure the environmental and operational management requirements are met. This includes ongoing environmental monitoring and reporting in accordance with licence requirements to ensure potential environmental impacts are mitigated and managed.
Operating Hours
Monday to Friday - 8am - 4pm
Saturday - Sunday - By Appointment
Christmas, Good Friday and New Year's Day - Closed
Accepted waste
Waste accepted
- Asbestos
- Green waste
- Liquid waste L100, K110, K130,K200 and K210
- Steel
- Clean C & D
- Special Waste Type 02: Biomedical Waste
- Special Waste Type 03: PFAS contaminated Waste
- Contaminated Waste up to Class IV limits*
Types of waste
Class I waste
- Clean fill - material that has no harmful effect on the environment and consists of rocks or soil arising from the excavation of undisturbed material such as clay, gravel, sand and soil.
- Type 1 inert waste - non-hazardous and non-biodegradable waste such as bricks, concrete and asphalt waste resulting from road construction.
- Type 2 inert waste - non-biodegradable organic materials, such as shredded tyres, that are flammable and require special management to reduce the risk of fires.
- Type 3 inert waste - material from licensed secondary waste treatment plants.
- Contaminated solid wastes specified for class I landfills - waste that is generally capable of being moved by a spade at normal temperatures and does not contain, or is comprised of, any free liquids or liquids that may be released during transport.
- Type 1 special waste - asbestos waste that is regarded as hazardous but which, with special management techniques, may be disposed of safely.
Class II waste
- Includes all class I wastes, except for type 3 inert waste
- Putrescible waste - waste that is likely to become putrid such as food and plant materials.
- Type 2 special waste - biomedical waste that does not require incineration and which is approved for supervised burial.
- Contaminated solid waste specified for class II landfills.
Class III & IV waste
- Class III waste includes all Class I and Class II wastes plus additional contaminated solid wastes which meet specific criteria for Class III landfills and require specific license conditions.
- Class IV waste includes all of the above plus further additional contaminated solid wastes.
*NOTE: The class IV is only open to commercial customers
Business Case
A Business Case for the Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility Trading Undertaking - Operator is available here.
FAQ's
Learn more about the Pilbara Regional Waste Management Facility by downloading the FAQ information below.
FAQ's for the PRWMF