Altona Nth Waste Processing Plant and Parkland

Rubbish, previously consigned straight to landfill, is coming to be regarded as valuable material.  The proposal for this waste processing plant in the community of Altona North incorporates such a perception shift.   Rather than being transported away from the source of its generation, the waste is taken to a site that is part of the community.  This is an interesting system for dealing with waste for a number of reasons.

The waste is sorted for recycling and reusing.  The remainder is either processed by the pyrolysis plant to provide biofuel for the site, or incinerated to provide heat and energy.  Surplus energy is fed back to the grid.  Ash from the incinerator is compacted in landfill cells, which are layered with various materials to filter out toxins and keep the water runoff uncontaminated.  Each cell is in use for a single day and then is sealed off, becoming part of the public wetland and parkland system.