A proposed recycling business at Somersby Business Park could cut costs for other businesses on the Coast.
The cetre would process up to 100,000 tonnes a year of drill mud from the civil, construction and mining industries, and up to 50,000 tonnes a year of oil water from mechanic workshops, service station forecourts, and car and truck washes.
The proposed development would provide important recycling infrastructure that does not currently exist within the Central Coast region and create up to 10 full time jobs, the applicant states in a submission to the State.
It would help local businesses or larger companies operating within the area to reduce their waste transport costs. Currently, Newcastle, Sydney or Bathurst are the closest facilities for these types of waste
The applicant held an on-line community information session on August 22 and invited Kariong Progress Association to the event via email on August 10.
At the time of writing, no response had been received and no representatives attended the information session, ” the applicant said.
The proposal is considered a State Significant Development and is awaiting a SEARS – a list of the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements from the State Department of Planning and Environment.
The centre, proposed for 134 Somersby Falls Road, Somersby would receive drill mud in bulk tankers.
“Drill mud typically consists of solids (e.g., naturally occurring soils, rock) mixed with a drilling fluid that includes water and may be mixed with chemical additives such as bentonite, sodium hydroxide, lime or synthetic polymers,” the application states.
“Oily water will be received in bulk tankers from a range of businesses within the area including mechanics/auto shops, car and truck washes, and service stations.
“The facility will employ a centrifugal separator to separate the liquid and solid phases of the drill muds, allowing the dewatered solids to be beneficially reused as engineered fill, sand, soil and aggregates where it meets certain quality specifications.”
The recovered water would be discharged to the sewer under a Trade Waste Agreement with Council and any solids or liquids that do not meet the specified quality standards would be transported to a licensed facility for further processing, treatment or disposal.
“Oily water received at the facility will be processed through a coalescing plate separator that separates the oils from the water,” the application states.
“ The recovered oils will be transported to licensed facilities for refining into lubricants and for use as fuel oil.”
The facility will require a licence from the NSW Environment Protection Authority and consent from the NSW Minister of Planning.
Details are on the Department of Planning website.
https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/somersby-drill-mud-and-oily-water-recycling
