The Central Waste Facility in Wolumla, shown in 2022. Photo: Bega Valley Shire Council.
Attempts to install a second weighbridge at a South Coast waste facility are ongoing after an unsuccessful tender, as the area prepares to manage more food waste.
Bega Valley Shire Council had sought tenders for a new weighbridge for its Central Waste Facility (CWF).
The facility is located outside of Wolumla, in the Bega Valley Shire, and receives the area’s kerbside and commercial landfill waste.
In June 2023, council flagged plans to build a new organics processing plant at the CWF, which is expected to be operational by late 2026.
A tender for the new weighbridge was released last year, with a plan to have the works completed before May 2025. However, the council says it received “only non-conforming proposals”, which has pushed back the timeline for the project.
According to council documents, councillors decided in late 2024 to reject the four tenders received and finalise a contract through negotiation.
This was followed by a meeting in late August, when councillors agreed to ask for a proposal for the weighbridge project from a preferred tenderer.
“[There is then an] intention to award a contract, subject to variations and provisional sums,” according to the meeting agenda.
Council documents also state that the delay means grant funding, sourced from the NSW EPA’s Bushfire Recovery Program for Council Landfills, has fallen through.
It means that council-sourced funds must now cover the project.
“The funds for the project have been approved in the FY 2025-26 capital works budget adopted in June 2025, and as detailed in the confidential memorandum at Attachment 2 [in the meeting agenda].”
Council says it is contractually obligated to install the second weighbridge, which will be used to manage operations and traffic around the new facility.
“Accurate recording and the subsequent charging of waste and recovered material will directly influence waste generators who use council’s facilities,” according to council’s meeting agenda.
“As the new Organics Processing Facility comes online, the new weighbridge will be pivotal in accurately recording and charging for outgoing recovered organics products.”
Council documents state the second weighbridge would give the council increased oversight of material passing through the Wolumla facility and help in environmental monitoring.
The weighbridge negotiations continue as waste facilities across NSW prepare for changes to mandatory FOGO (food organics and garden organics) facilities.
According to the NSW EPA’s website, new legislation means that FOGO collection services will be mandatory for the state’s households by July 2030.
“The timing of this procurement is beneficial so there are minimised conflicts with the construction of the proposed Organics Processing Facility, expected to commence in 2026,” the agenda states.
SOILCO Pty Ltd was also handed a nearly $25 million contract for the facility, which is expected to be operated independently under the 10-year contract.
The agenda also states that a similar situation occurred in 2013, when several non-conforming tenders were submitted for the first weighbridge at the Wolumla facility.
Original Article published by Claire Sams on About Regional.
