The Gold Coast faces a looming landfill shortage, with less than a decade of available landfill airspace remaining. This highlights the need for smart, sustainable solutions that can be delivered locally. 

The West Burleigh Construction Waste and Resource Recovery Project (WBCWRR Project) is designed to respond directly to this challenge. The WBCWRR Project will: 

• Rehabilitate the quarry void into a safe, stable landform in a timely manner. 

• Provide a local solution for construction and demolition waste, which does not decay like household waste—meaning no odour or contamination. 

• Reduce reliance on distant landfills, avoiding congestion, emissions, and cost. 

• Support recycling and resource recovery to meet government sustainability targets. 

What Will Happen 

The WBCWRR Project provides a significant opportunity to rehabilitate the existing quarry void at West Burleigh in a way that delivers long-term benefits for both the community and the environment. It will: 

• Divert residual construction and demolition waste away from Council’s putrescible landfills, preserving valuable Council airspace, it will preserve council airspace, reducing transport distances, and helping to contain community costs. 

• Use the overburden from the RCKRA Project and non-putrescible construction waste—dry, clean materials such as concrete, bricks, and asphalt (not household garbage or anything smelly)—to safely fill and rehabilitate the quarry void, creating a stable landform suitable for future industrial purposes, open space, and conservation areas. 

• Support Council’s Advance Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC) by providing a local option for ash by -products and other residual construction and demolition materials that cannot be technically recycled or reused. 

This approach transforms a depleted quarry into a rehabilitated, productive landscape while contributing to the City’s broader waste management and sustainability goals. 

Project Details 

1. Non-putrescible construction waste landfill 

• Will receive up to 700,000 tonnes per year over approximately 23 years. 

• Purpose: progressively fill and rehabilitate the quarry void, allowing the land to be restored and made suitable for future beneficial uses once operations conclude. 

2. Resource recovery operations 

• Stage 1: Mobile equipment will process materials within the pit while quarrying continues. 

• Stage 2: After quarrying ends, a permanent resource recovery facility will be established in the existing infrastructure area, handling up to 300,000 tonnes per year. 

3. Vegetated buffer zone 

• A green buffer around the site to provide visual screening and support long-term environmental and landscape outcomes. 

What About Current Operations? 

• The existing quarry will continue operating until resources are exhausted. 

• The asphalt plant will also remain operational and continue after quarrying ends, alongside the WBCWRR Project. 

Why It Matters 

Without new sustainable local waste solutions, the Gold Coast will need to send more its waste to distant sites, increasing transport impacts and costs. This project helps the city plan ahead by providing local capacity, reducing pressure on council landfills, and avoiding unnecessary transport impacts. It also allows the quarry void to be safely filled and shaped into stable landform that can support future beneficial uses.