Twelve kilometres north of the CBD lies Wingfield, Adelaide’s waste management centre. One of the largest waste management facilities in Australia, this 94 hectare site combines recycling, gas extraction, power generation, plant rehabilitation and education.
It also provides the City of Adelaide with considerable revenue. In 1997/98, this facility processed over 500,000 tonnes of rubbish or 55% of metropolitan Adelaide’s waste stream.
Wingfield Manager, Michael Lorenz, said over the last seven years the site has been transformed from what was essentially a dump to a state of the art waste management centre. Wherever possible incoming waste is recycled.
Extensive landscaping and a fully equipped education centre ensure Wingfield serves much more than Adelaide’s waste management needs. Landfill generated methane converted into electricity is sufficient to power over 5,000 of Adelaide’s homes. A pilot program is investigating composting opportunities on a commercial scale.
Currently the facility is also trialing the separation of recyclable materials from mixed loads and the storage of non recyclables for future recycling as new technology becomes available.
While Wingfield’s role as a landfill site will terminate in 2004, Michael Lorenz said it will continue to function in its other roles. Landscaping with thousands of trees and shrubs is creating passive recreation and picnic grounds.
The Education Centre on the site hosts programs for primary and high school children, as well as providing a venue for industry and business meetings and conferences.
