There were two confidential items that were voted on during last week's Lismore City Council meeting. One was to engage a company that specialises in geotechnical support, GHD, to provide professional services for the Flood Restoration portfolio over the two years to the value of $1.978 million. The other was around a new landfill development project.

As most Lismore App readers would know, Council has been shipping its landfill waste to Ipswich in Queensland, as have most other local councils, since the 2022 big flood. The damage caused to Cell 2B, the active landfill waste disposal cell at the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre at Wyrallah, was fatal until it could be assessed and repaired.

Lismore City Council has said the consistent wet weather has hindered any progress towards reopening Cell 2B.

"The process of drying out the cell has been a significant challenge, taking over three years due to the region's heavy rainfall. On numerous occasions, the cell was nearly fully drained, only to be refilled by another downpour, such as during Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March," a Lismore City Council spokesperson told the Lismore App.

"Continued wet weather since March 2025 has been an ongoing challenge for Council and our Contractor (Pentacon), with works continuing to progress despite weather challenges."

Construction company Pentacon was awarded the contract in June for Landfill Cell 2B Main Restoration Works.

Council said that works undertaken have included restoration of the cell liner, and installation of new pumps, collection pipework and drainage aggregate throughout the cell to support effective drainage and removal of leachate. 

The project is on track for completion by December 2025, which is three months ahead of schedule. So, Lismore City Council could be in a position to look after its own landfill waste once again by the end of the year.

Once reinstated, Landfill Cell 2B is expected to reach its capacity in 7-10 years, so by 2032 – 2035. 

This leads us back to last Tuesday's Lismore council meeting.

The confidential session on 12.2 was entitled: New Landfill Development Project

That Council progress the Landfill Development Project to concept design and business case development, including:

a) further technical studies and investigations

b) direct consultation with key stakeholders

c) engagement with councils through the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation

The vote was 7/3, with Cr Hall absent. Against were Councillors Guise, Jensen and Waters.

Back in December 2024, Lismore City Council Chief Operating Officer Brendan Logan told the Talking Lismore podcast that Blakebrook Quarry was one of those options being explored.

At the time, it was said that Blakebrook Quarry is much larger than Wyrallah Road and could lead to regional solutions if the opportunity arose.

“Any decision would need to consider environmental constraints and the capacity to accommodate a waste facility and quarry operations simultaneously,” Mr Logan said at the time.

The Northern Rivers seven councils, that is, the Local Government Areas of Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed, have traditionally operated independently, even with the formation of the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation (NRJO) in 2018. The rule of thumb has been every council for itself.

The NRJO is designed to facilitate collaboration between local councils and the NSW Government to deliver initiatives that matter most to regional communities. They represent a commitment to collaborate in the long term to develop and support a shared vision for the region.

The February 28 2022, big flood may have just been the tipping point for the seven councils to actually put into practice what their intentions are.

Blakebrook Quarry may well be a regional solution for the Northern Rivers waste problem. Time will tell.