A potential site needs to be big enough to incorporate necessary facilities, operate efficiently and minimise any impact on the surrounding community. Ipswich City Council has identified that our future Resource Recovery Centres require a location with a land size of at least 30,000m2.

Factors considered in determining the minimum land size required include:

• Visitation numbers
• Volumes of material dropped off at the site (taking into account seasonality and other fluctuations)
• Necessary infrastructure, plant, and equipment including space for equipment storage and maintenance
• Capacity for onsite functions and activities
• Size and type of vehicles expected to deliver and remove materials from the site
• Access and traffic movement on site (including queuing areas and parking)
• Allowance for future expansion (particularly if population is growing)
• Flexible spaces for other activities (e.g. community education centre, recycle mart)

It is critical that a potential site has good road access and proximity to major roads to support effective transportation. Specific factors considered in this criteria include:

• Proximity to major roads and highways to support effective transportation
• Suitable road access to the site (including slip-roads off main highways and heavy vehicle access)
• All-weather access, including any potential seasonal flooding
• Proximity to processing plants
• The distance that local communities are willing to travel to use the facility*

*During community consultation conducted in 2019, the Ipswich community expressed that they would ideally prefer to travel 10 minutes or less to visit a Resource Recovery Centre.

The natural conditions and history of a potential site impact significantly on whether it is feasible to build a Resource Recovery Centre. Specific factors considered include:

• Topography
  • Topography refers to the arrangement of natural and artificial physical features of an area.
• Climate
  • For example, local climate conditions such as wind direction can affect management practices of litter, odour, stormwater, site amenity and storage requirements.
• Hydrological and hydrogeological features
  • For instance, it is necessary to avoid sites with high water tables or in groundwater recharge or discharge areas where possible, as well as sites with a large catchment area to minimise the infrastructure required to manage surface water flows.
• Geological conditions
  • For example, sites with poor subsurface soil stability such as existing landfills may need more investment in foundations and floor slabs, depending on the facility's expected loading.
  • The risk of pre-existing soil pollution should also be assessed.
• Ecology
  • For instance, if land containing areas of remnant or sensitive vegetation is near the site, a flora and fauna study should be conducted to determine whether any unique, endangered or threatened species or vegetation communities are present.
• Soil contamination
  • If contamination is present in the soil, this can result in additional remediation requirements and higher overall cost.
• Aesthetics
  • For example, would the design of a facility blend with the surrounding environment?
• Cultural heritage of the site
  • For instance, has the community used this site previously?
• Other previous use of the land
  • This is where we ask questions such as: is this location a rehabilitated landfill? and does previous use of this site present any problems?

A potential site location must also satisfy:

• Appropriate buffer distances between the site and designated residential areas and/or other sensitive receptors (e.g. distance to schools or designated areas, hospitals, retirement villages, water catchments, facilities or other land uses sensitive to noise and/or odour and other environmentally sensitive areas).
• Appropriate consideration of whether surrounding industries and development are compatible with the use of site as a Resource Recovery Centre.

Relevant planning schemes and legislations must also be considered when evaluating a potential site location. This criteria also includes consideration of:

• Potential and future land use conflicts with surrounding land (e.g. conflict between local and state planning codes and legislation)
• Ensuring prohibited development will not occur
• Approval from the Department of Environment and Science (DES) Environmental Authority is required to operate a Resource Recovery Centre (ERA 62)
• Other necessary building permits

For a location to be considered as a potential Resource Recovery Centre site, it must be possible for council to purchase the location for this purpose.

Council owned land is preferred for potential Resource Recovery Centre sites because these facilities are planned and designed to provide valuable infrastructure to the community for long periods of time (25 to 50 years).