Bingo Artarmon plans 24 hour operations as demand for waste disposal soars

The operator of one northern Sydney’s largest waste facilities is eyeing 24 hour operations to keep up with the soaring demand. See what’s planned:

The north shore’s development and construction boom has prompted the operators of one of the region’s largest waste facilities to plan around-the-clock operating hours to keep up with soaring demand.

The amount of waste that could be processed at the Artarmon Recycling Centre would increase by almost one-third under plans by skip bin and waste giant Bingo Industries to extend the facility’s operating hours to 24 hours per day.

The 2250 sqm centre was opened back in 2005 and processes everything from commercial waste to construction and demolition materials and garden waste.

The Artarmon Recycling Centre.

Bingo Industries said there had been rising demand for its services, partly driven by the region’s development boom and large scale public infrastructure projects.

“The site is currently approaching its throughput limit and has on some occasions been required to close around the Christmas period to ensure compliance,” the plans stated.

“To respond to this and to meet demand (of) waste volumes in the next decade, it is integral that the existing network recycling capacity is significantly increased.

“The proposal would support state recycling targets as well as the overall NSW landfill diversion (and) enable Bingo to utilise existing assets more efficiently.”

The facility is located on McLachlan Ave.

Plans show the extending hours would boost the amount of waste the facility could handle from 65,000 tonnes per year to 90,000 tonnes.

The bulk of activities such as deliveries, unloading, sorting and loading would occur from 7am to 6pm, with pre scheduled deliveries, sorting and unloading of vehicles taking place in night time periods.

Bingo Industries said a benefit of the plans could include a reduction in waste trucks navigating the region’s busy roads in peak periods by spreading the load into night-time periods.

The company partly attributed demand to large scale infrastructure projects.

This is expected to become a greater issue in coming years as freight movements in Sydney are predicted to increase by 50 per cent by 2036, placing further demand on the city’s transport corridors.

Willoughby Council has provided early feedback on the plans, requesting information about traffic routes and impacts on local roads from increased truck movements.

Traffic modelling predicts up to 143 vehicles could access the site over a 24 hour period and truck routes would involve vehicles leaving the site via Marden St to connect with the Gore Hill Freeway or the Pacific Hwy through the Artarmon industrial precinct.

Noise modelling conducted by Bingo forecasts noise levels of up to 55 decibels at night to the nearby homes – below sleep disturbance thresholds.

The closest homes to the site are 140m northwest and 280m to the east on the Pacific Hwy.

Measures aimed at keeping the peace in the neighbourhood include a complaints hotline, regular dust monitoring, and site induction for staff.

The company said the proposal was in line with the State Government’s waste and sustainability materials strategy that has mandated an 80 per cent waste recovery rate across all industries by 2041.

Current rates are around 77 per cent from the construction and demolition sector, and 53 per cent from commercial and industrial.

The plans are currently under assessment by Willoughby Council.

The North Shore Times contacted Bingo Industries for further comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.