Perth company AnaeCo has been given the green light by the Western Metropolitan Regional Council to construct an expanded waste treatment facility in Shenton Park.
Perth company AnaeCo has been given the green light by the Western Metropolitan Regional Council to construct an expanded waste treatment facility in Shenton Park.
The Council, which represents the Towns of Claremont, Cottesloe, and Mosman Park as well as the Shire of Peppermint Grove and the City of Subiaco, gave the go ahead at a meeting last week.
When the plant is constructed, the WMRC will enter into a 20-year contract to deliver waste to the DiCOM plant.
The DiCOM system will process up to 55,000 tonnes of household waste per annum.
The system sorts waste to separate recyclables and then break down the organic components to produce market-quality compost and biogas.
The generated biogas will power the plant and any surplus will be exported to the grid as renewable energy.
WMRC Chairman and Town of Mosman Park mayor Ron Norris said it will be the first DiCOM plant constructed in the world.
"It will also be the first time in Australia that alternative waste processing technology has been constructed at an existing transfer station," he said.
"When fully operational the plant will divert between 65 per cent and 80 per cent of our waste from landfill."
Construction of the plant is expected to begin before the end of the year and commence operations in March 2012.
Meanwhile AnaeCo and the City of Geelong have decided not to proceed with a tender process to set up a DiCOM plant to deal with waste in Victoria's Barwon region.
See statement below from the Council below:
The Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) has announced that it will proceed with the development of the full DiCOM® bioconversion waste processing system at the JFR (Jim) McGeough Resource Recovery Facility in Shenton Park.
The Council* voted at its 7 October 2010 meeting to proceed with expanding the DiCOM® trial plant into the full-scale system. The decision follows a series of performance tests at the trial plant and independent engineer certification. When the plant is constructed the WMRC will enter a 20 year contract to deliver waste to the DiCOM® plant.
The DiCOM® system, invented in Western Australia and developed by AnaeCo Limited in conjunction with its Australian Alliance partner Palisade Investment Partners, will process up to 55,000 tonnes of household waste per annum. The system sorts the waste to separate recyclables and then breaks down the organic components to produce market-quality compost and biogas. The generated biogas will power the plant and surplus will be exported to the grid as renewable energy.
WMRC Chairman and Town of Mosman Park Mayor, Ron Norris said, "This is a major achievement for Council and an exciting prospect for our residents. This will be the first DiCOM® plant constructed in the world. The project will demonstrate world-leading technology developed right here in Western Australia."
"It will also be the first time in Australia that alternative waste processing technology has been constructed at an existing transfer station. When fully operational the plant will divert between 65% and 80% of our waste from landfill", he said.
Mayor Norris explained that the project will ensure residents in Perth's western suburbs benefit from environmentally responsible disposal of household waste at a predictable price for the next 20 years. The diverted proportion of our household waste will be free of increasing transport costs and the expected increases in the landfill levy.
Construction of the full DiCOM® system is expected to commence before the end of 2010 and commence operations by March 2012. The finished plant will consist of three processing vessels, three water storage tanks, a materials recovery building, power generation equipment and a waste receival and loading area.
More information on the WMRC and the DiCOM® process is available from www.wmrc.wa.gov.au
