New role for Ophir Road waste site


After many years as the focus for waste management for Orange residents, the Ophir Road Resource Recovery site will heading in a new direction and will be used less and less for landfill.

It’s expected that by the end of the year, apart from a couple of special categories of waste, its role as a landfill site will virtually end.

Its new work will be about being a transfer station for waste, a place where waste is taken to be stockpiled or processed before it’s taken to a new location.

Orange Mayor John Davis said the changes are the latest in Orange's long-term directions in waste management.

"Managing waste is a huge task for a city the size of Orange, which produces around 30,000 tonnes of waste a year, Cr John Davis said. "Orange residents can be proud of the way our waste is dealt with in a way that’s pioneering in regional areas and in line with contemporary best-practices."

The stockpiles of waste at the Ophir Road Recovery Recovery Centre are no higher than usual. The shape of the stockpiles changes depending on where each pile is up to in the round of waste transfer routines.

"The good news is that we’re now diverting around 60% of our waste away from landfill. Around 46% of our waste is organic waste and can be turned towards compost production. Around 14% is put back into recycling streams."

Most of the waste that ends up in landfill is compressed and baled and taken to the Euchareena Road site where the landfill site is used much more efficiently than old-style landfill tips.

The Ophir Road site is also used to house short-term stockpiles for items such as concrete, demolition or large-scale steel waste. When a pile of steel is big enough a contractor collects it. Concrete and demolition waste, which is too big to bale, is also taken to Euchareena Road.

The building now used to sort recycled waste will also take on a new role as a recyclables transfer station. All unsorted recyclable product will be transported to Visy in Smithfield by contractors JR Richards.

For more information visit Orange City Council