Veolia’s Woodlawn Eco Precinct

After a big research and investigation project by Collex through the 1990s, a site near Goulburn was selected as the next major landfill to service the Sydney region and the paramount operation finally came to life in 2004. This video created back around 2010 showcases the Woodlawn facility and its business happenings, with key focus on the bioreactor landfill being the beating heart of the place. Veolia had this featured on their website in the past, but I since got given a CD copy of it and knew this was something else I had to chuck up for everyone to see. Of course, all credit goes to Veolia and I hope they don’t mind me sharing this on here!
I reckon the coolest aspect about what they did is the whole concept and methodology surrounding the Clyde transfer terminal and utilisation of freight rail to move such an impressive amount of rubbish in bulk. When you think of transfer stations, you imagine trucks and trailers, but here you have Pacific National locomotives pulling numerous containers of compacted waste out of Sydney and down through the southern highlands a significant distance. It used to only be Clyde, until Veolia opened the new complementing Banksmeadow transfer terminal in late 2016, which shook up the market and unlocked the further potential of Woodlawn.
As the presentation will indicate, it’s not just your typical landfill burial situation at Woodlawn, it’s part of a bigger picture which takes things beyond the norm. The WASP facility which is mentioned in the video has since been built and commissioned too, removing organics from the mixed waste stream to eventually be used for land rehab as per the original goals. In recent times the company started pedalling down the path of establishing waste to energy technology onsite, and I think in future it will be home to NSW’s first facility of its kind, something which has hit many hurdles within Sydney itself and can’t come sooner.
If this Woodlawn facility didn’t exist today, Sydney’s waste disposal sector would be in a world of trouble - much more than it already is anyway! It’s likely the very last landfill that will receive such volumes of putrescible waste from this capital city, but it’s still got a while to go yet. This contribution by Veolia to the waste processing sector was also notably the lifeline and saviour for waste management in Sydney during certain stages of 2022, when the metro area was experiencing an unprecedented waste facility crisis. Seeing it all in action myself, it’s a very efficient and organised system at Veolia's transfer terminals, definitely shames the outdated and poorly managed competitor transfer facilities!
A quick and modern overview of Woodlawn by the organisation:
• Woodlawn Eco Precinct:...

[@ronniemackenzie097]

That mkiv at 0:54 was one of the green waste trucks in Ku ring gai! Still has the old collex logo which was phase out in 2009 here in Sydney from memory! and its picking up a streamlined bottles/container bins probably just for a demostrantion i say!

[@DavidWynn-f8o]

Wow I remember the first day the first box of waste went into the hole.. JUST WOW how the void has filled but would be excited to see just where the rehab and associated "proposed" cost benifits are now?

[@GarboTracker]

Hey Mitch, I have always loved your videos and have been happy to see your replies to my comments I have been watching you from when I was a kid until the present. I recently started filming trucks for youtube, rubbish trucks have been a big part of my life since I was a kid and now that I film video I would like to know if I have been doing it the right way. I was thinking since you know a lot about this stuff I just want to know if there is any improvements I can make to my videos?

[@AussieGarbo]

Thanks mate, well done getting into it all yourself, keep up the good work. There isn't really any right way to video the trucks, as long as you're steady holding the camera, always focus the shot on the action at hand and edit the video smartly, you're on for a winner. I've always hated those videos where the camera is shaking all over the place or point at nothing for ages waiting for the truck to show up around a corner. No harm in trying something new for a different angle or capture as well. Of course variety is also key, don't overkill it filming one truck or one thing too much, ends up getting boring seeing the same thing over and over again for an extended period. Cheers