THE rubbish dump for several Perth councils is nearly full so they may start dumping their refuse along the Perth to Joondalup railway line.
Tamala Park, presided over by the Mindarie Regional Council, contains a landfill site used by the cities of Perth, Stirling and Joondalup and the Towns of Wanneroo, Vincent, Victoria Park and Cambridge.
It has about four to seven years left.
The Mindarie Regional Council, made up of members of the councils using the rubbish tip, wants to dig a second landfill hole.
However, the Environmental Protection Authority is believed to be unwilling to licence a second hole. It wants a secondary waste treatment plant put on the site instead.
Secondary waste treatment plants compost greenwaste and incinerate other forms of rubbish. The heat generated from incineration is often used to generate electricity.
This form of electricity generation will become increasingly valuable as the Federal Government’s two per cent mandatory renewable energy scheme takes hold.
Under the scheme, electricity retailers are required to purchase two per cent of their power from renewable energy sources. A secondary waste plant incinerator is a suitable source.
Other countries have been using secondary waste treat-ment for years.
Councillor Michael Suther-land, Perth City Council’s representative on the Mindarie Regional Council, said a secondary treatment plant was a good option for the site.
“However, we need a lot of tonnage to make the plant viable,” Mr Sutherland said.
He wants to see collection points set up along the railway line so councils can dump their rubbish there for transport to the plant.
Mr Sutherland said ratepayers would have to decide if they were serious about the environment.
It costs councils $17 per tonne to dump rubbish at Tamala Park.
A secondary waste treatment plant will cost more, meaning rates will have to rise.
