Northern suburbs Uleybury dump will be full in four years

With the local tip almost full to the brim, locals of the northern suburbs need to change their waste habits or risk running out of spots to dump their junk.

Residents are being urged to think about what they chuck in the bin as one of the state’s most used dumps edges closer and closer to being full.

The Uleybury landfill site on Medlow Road, operated by the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA), will only be usable for another four years.

The tip, the largest in the northern suburbs, is used by councils Playford, Salisbury and Gawler – all of which have some of the fastest growing populations in the state.

With the dump’s deadline looming, Playford councillor Clint Marsh warned that residents needed to change their waste habits.

“Residents must want to make a change to their current waste disposal behaviour,” he said.

Playford councillors Clint Marsh, David Kerrison, Jane Onuzans, Cathy-Jo Tame, Misty Norris, Stephen Coppins and Marilyn Baker at the NAWMA dump. Picture: Supplied

“The Uleybury landfill has approximately four years left of life, putting pressure on NAWMA to find alternate waste disposal streams after the closure.”

He said the Uleybury dump’s contributors had a bad habit of throwing organic waste out with regular trash.

The City of Playford has just 52 per cent of its residents using an organic waste service.

Mr Marsh says the council could help reducing the amount of food and organic waste discarded in landfill by providing a specific free rubbish service.

“(The council) must roll out FOGO bins and change to a free opt-in service,” he said.

His suggestion was supported by several other councillors, with councillor David Kerrison stating the service would also save ratepayers money by avoiding a waste levy.

“The provision of (the service) … is extremely important in diverting contamination away from recycling bins and landfill,” he said.

“There are (also) significant environmental benefits and a financial return to the ratepayer.”

The Uleybury landfill site (pictured) is nearing capacity. Picture: Supplied

The council last month carried a motion to provide a free FOGO service, a provision that would only become available under the next elected council’s tenure.

Mr Marsh said any delay in rolling the plan out would put added pressure on the Uleybury landfill.

A rubbish audit conducted by NAWMA last year showed 40 per cent of general waste collected was food scraps.

NAWMA Education and Community Projects Coordinator Penelope Morrison said a current trial the dump is conducting has shown improvement in participants’ “recycling behaviour”.

The warning comes with garbage collection across the state set to undergo a period of change.

The Holdfast Bay council has decided to flip bin collection in the area with red general waste bins picked up fortnightly and green waste bins collected weekly.

The decision came after an 18-month, state-first trial that was followed by both the West Torrens and Unley councils.