Attachment 6 - Odour Impact Assessment - Katestone · 132005.638.06

2. EXISTING AND PROPOSED OPERATIONS

2.1       Existing operations

The Noosa Resource Recovery Centre is the main waste management and recycling facility serving the Noosa
Shire. It is a resource recovery and recycling hub where residents and businesses can responsibly dispose of
waste and recycle a wide range of materials. The facility operates between the hours of 7am – 5pm daily.

In terms of odour sources, the existing waste facility includes:

      •   Vehicles delivering odorous loads of waste
      •   Unloading, handling and processing of odorous wastes
      •   Landfilling operations receiving primarily municipal solid waste, including emissions from waste deposited
          at the active tipping face, fugitive emissions of landfill gas and emissions associated with leachate
          management
      •   Stockpiling and shredding of green waste prior to being exported as mulch

The existing waste facility receives approximately 17,000 tonnes of green waste per year (between 1 July 2024 –
30 June 2025), being shredded and stockpiled prior to export as mulch.

Operations at landfill must be conducted according to Environmental authority EPPR01855314 (Department of
Environment and Science, 2024). Odour mitigation measures currently used at the landfill include the application
of day cover (soil) and final cover (clay), and gas extraction across the entire landfill.

Katestone understands there has been a small number of odour complaints from nearby residents, which have
been attributed to landfill operations. There is no history of odour complaints associated with emissions from green
waste storage and handling.


2.2       Proposed composting operations

The proposed operations described below are based on the PR25001 Noosa Composting Facility Process Design
Strategy (Orez, 2026).

The proposal will see food waste and green waste processed by aerated in-vessel composting to produce high-
quality compost rather than the mulch that is currently produced from the green waste currently accepted at the
site. The composting facility will be designed to process 25,000 tonnes per year of green waste initially, with the
flexibility to accommodate growth up to 30,000 tonnes per year within the built infrastructure. This represents a
diversion of the green waste already accepted at the existing waste facility, along with an 8,000 - 13,000 tonne
increase in capacity for green waste processing.

Green waste will be delivered, stockpiled and shredded in the same manner that occurs currently, but instead of
the shredded green waste being stockpiled in open piles, it will be transferred to the aerated in-vessel composting
system for the initial pasteurisation phase (approximately 21 days) of the composting process. The in-vessel
composting system will be enclosed and maintained under negative pressure, with the extracted air passed through
a biofilter for odour control prior to emissions to the atmosphere. Aeration will ensure aerobic conditions, which
minimise the generation of offensive odours while speeding up the composting process and producing a higher
quality final product.

Up to 2,000 tonnes per year of food waste may also be delivered to the in-vessel composting facility and mixed
with the green waste prior to in-vessel composting. Noosa Council has advised that this may include Low or Medium
odour risk wastes (per the odour ratings set out in the Queensland Government’s Model Operating Conditions and
Best Practice Environmental Management Guideline documents for ERA 53(a)—Organic material processing by
composting) but will not include High or Very High risk food wastes. This food waste will be delivered directly into



 Katestone Environmental Australia Pty Ltd                                                     17 September 2026
 D25072-8 Noosa Council - Noosa Composting Odour Assessment - Final                                      Page 3