Mildura Rural City Council has 'un-covered' almost $2 million in operational savings after successfully trialling a new method to cover the Mildura Landfill tip face.
Under Environment Protection Authority (EPA) guidelines all landfill operators need to cover the tip face on a daily basis to reduce the impact of odour and litter on nearby properties.
Like most local government areas, Council had been sourcing and using soil to perform this task, which in the last financial year attracted an EPA levy of $116 per tonne of soil applied to the tip face, as well as the need to purchase and transport the soil to the landfill.
Councillor for Environmental and Sustainability Jodi Ewings said that as part of Council's continual push to generate cost savings and environmental benefits, a trial method using bentonite clay started in the 2023/24 financial year.
The clay, known as Posi Shell, is applied to the tip face in liquid form, in a mud-like consistency, replacing 300mm of clean fill soil, negating the need to transport as much soil to and within the landfill site.
Cr Ewings said that from both a financial and environmental perspective the trial had been a resounding success.
"In terms of financial savings, we've slashed almost $1.9 million from the Mildura Landfill operational costs over the past two financial years," she said.
"There are also environmental benefits in terms of airspace conservation - in other words, the volume of space on a landfill site allowed to be used to dispose of solid waste.
"The Posi Shell uses up to 24 times less space than traditional soil methods, providing us with about 20% additional capacity at the landfill, so it's a win-win.
"This is just one example of the way departments across our organisation are continually striving to not only generate cost savings, but innovate and improve the way we go about delivering the more than 100 services we provide our community every day."
