NSW Government Plans for Regional Waste-to-Energy Plants Face Opposition

The New South Wales (NSW) government is moving forward with plans to dispose of Sydney's excess waste in regional communities by establishing waste-to-energy incinerator plants. This initiative aims to address a looming landfill shortage in Sydney, with some facilities, such as Lucas Heights, projected to reach capacity by 2030.

This initiative aims to address a looming landfill shortage in Sydney, with some facilities, such as Lucas Heights, projected to reach capacity by 2030.

Proposed Locations and Previous Restrictions

Four towns have been selected as potential sites for these incinerators: Parkes in the central west, Tarago near Goulburn, the former Wallerawang power station site at Lithgow, and Tomago in the Hunter Valley.

This strategy follows a 2021 state government legislative act that prohibited such incinerators from being built in Greater Sydney. This legislation was informed by the 2018 rejection of a waste-to-energy plant application at Eastern Creek in Western Sydney due to...