Next phase of improvements now underway at Maitland Resource Recovery Facility

Maitland City Council’s transformation of the Maitland Resource Recovery Facility is moving into the next phase, with work starting today on a raft of upgrades targeting improved safety, accessibility, and customer service.

Stage two of the four stage project will include the replacement of the existing inbound and outbound weighbridges with contemporary weighbridge infrastructure and gatehouse, allowing for improved visibility and traffic flow for both staff and visitors to the site.

Once complete, upgrades to the frontage and an extended roadway will improve access to the facility and reduce the likelihood of visitors needing to queue out the gate and onto the 80km/h Mount Vincent Road, vastly improving safety for motorists.

With occasional traffic control in place, work will proceed without preventing members of the public from visiting the site and is expected to conclude in December 2024.

Maitland City Council Manager Sustainability and Environment Catherine Pepper said these works represented a ‘significant investment in the improvement of our waste facility’, which has been operating since 1993.

‘Our residents told us improved customer experience and increased recycling and recovery rates were important to them,’ Ms Pepper said. 

‘Along with future stages, this work will continue the transformation of the site into a modern facility with a stronger focus on and capability for resource recovery and circular economy practices.'

‘We’re looking to hit the targets set out in our Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2030, such as delivering accessible waste and recycling services, shifting towards a circular economy, and diverting 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030.

‘These upgrades are aimed at providing future ready infrastructure, so that Maitland City Council can responsibly and sustainably continue to provide waste management and resource recovery options at the site long into the future.’

Other improvements under stage two are aimed at improving efficiency and operational savings, such as the installation of mains water and power to the top of the site, which will allow for the installation of new resource recovery equipment in the future.

The total cost of works under stage two is $3 million from a total project budget of $18 million.

For more information on this project, visit mait.city/MRRF.