What’s Next for Jindabyne’s Tip? #189

$14.5Million For A New Resource Recovery Centre?

Jun 13, 2025

$14.5Million For A New Resource Recovery Centre?

Despite efforts to record the full community session, no audio was permitted during the formal presentation — a curious decision, given the meeting was a public forum discussing matters squarely in the public interest. Fortunately, I was allowed to record a short conversation with council representatives afterward to help capture the key takeaways.

📎 Monaro Zone has included full source material from the post-forum interviews for transparency.

Importantly, local Independent Councillors Reuben Rose and Nick Elliot were in attendance, and both made strong representations aligned with what many in the community had expressed — calling for practical, cost-effective solutions that wouldn’t burden residents or small operators.

❗The Problem: Landfill at Capacity

At last night’s public forum in Jindabyne, Greg Thompson — from the Snowy Monaro Regional Council — outlined the current state of Jindabyne’s waste facility.

In short: Jindabyne’s landfill is full. The EPA will not permit expansion due to environmental risks, and by 2041, the Council will be allowed to operate only one landfill — almost certainly located in Cooma.

So, what’s next?

🛠️ The Options Presented

Council presented three official options to the community:

Option 1: Make the Interim Transfer Station Permanent

Minor upgrades like a sealed hardstand, drainage, widened access roads, and a new roof over the existing structure.
✅ Lower cost
❌ Commercial operators still must haul waste to Cooma if it’s over 1m³
Estimated to serve the community for 5–10 years

Option 2: Reduced-Scope Resource Recovery Centre

A cheaper, scaled-down version of a recovery centre, with fewer concrete structures and more use of gravel and blue metal.
✅ Budget-conscious
❌ Still in design phase; details and costings yet to be finalised

Option 3: Full Resource Recovery Centre – $14.5 Million

A modern facility based on the Aubrey RRC model. Includes:

A community drop-off area
Buyback shop
Education centre
FOGO and organics processing
Sealed, EPA-compliant site layout

✅ Long-term circular economy strategy
❌ High capital cost, and increased operating costs
❌ Council is already in significant debt

💡 Option 4? A Practical Suggestion from a Local Operator

One of Jindabyne’s key commercial skip operators, Wally Wesdin from YouSkipIt, raised a compelling point during post-session discussions:

“There’s a lot of waste that ends up at Cooma anyway. If Council subsidised us to take it straight there, it would save time, labour — and ratepayer money.”

His suggestion? Scrap the idea of a commercial facility in Jindabyne entirely and instead provide cost offsets for operators to go directly to Cooma. It’s a fourth option — unofficial, but perhaps the most financially realistic.

🔥 On-the-Ground Issues

Other residents raised additional concerns:

Tip fees are climbing, leading to illegal dumping and burning of green waste and mattresses.
Builders are struggling with rising costs.
Trucks can’t lift bins over 80kg, and Council is now installing cameras to monitor contamination.

🌱 The Long-Term Vision

Tony Lickiss from Council’s engineering team made a bold claim:

“The future will be no landfill – a complete cyclical economy.”

Whether that’s realistic by 2041 is unclear. What is clear is that major decisions are looming, and the path forward remains uncertain — particularly when ratepayers are already shouldering the cost burden of regional waste, including some suggest, the legacy of Snowy 2.0.

💭 Final Thoughts

Council is still weighing its options. Funding is tight. Rate payers are looking at another rate rise this year. But one way or another, change is coming to Jindabyne’s tip.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments, and whether Option 4 deserves a serious look.