Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) are transporting a high-power water pump from Sydney to Lismore today to help extinguish the fire still burning in compost piles at the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre.

The Hytrans bulk water transfer system can release up to 8000 litres of water per minute and will help to douse the nine large compost piles that continue to smoulder and produce smoke following Sunday’s fire, the council said in a statement this afternoon.

FRNSW has indicated it could be a number of days or even weeks before the fire can be fully extinguished but is confident the water pump will speed up the process.

Lismore City Council is working with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to establish an alternative site for the disposal of bulk green waste.

Green waste cannot leave the yellow crazy ant exclusion zone around Lismore without sign off from the DPI.

“We are working with the EPA and the DPI to meet requirements around yellow crazy ants and the proper recording of green waste weights,” the council’s executive director of infrastructure services Gary Murphy said.

“We are looking for an appropriate alternative site where the public can drop off green waste and hope to have this in place by early next week.”

There are currently delays to waste collection across the city, particularly with green organics bins, and residents are asked to be patient and leave bins out until they are emptied.

The council will continue to send recycling to Chinderah via Ballina and general waste to Ipswich via Richmond Valley while the Materials Recovery Facility remains inoperable.

“We would like to thank our neighbouring councils for their support. We have had to find quick solutions to complex waste management issues and they have been very responsive,” Gary said.

“Ballina Shire Council and the Animal Rights & Rescue Group took in animals from the Lismore Pound and we’re very grateful for this.

“We would also like to thank the fire brigade and different agencies involved for their unwavering support and hard work, and I would personally like to thank the council staff that have been working round the clock to help extinguish the fire and restore services to normal.

“We have had many messages of support and sympathy from the public and this has been very heartening, as we realise the fire is impacting our community. I want to assure people we are working to resolve the fire and our waste management issues as quickly as possible.”

For more information on the health impacts of smoke, visit the NSW Health website: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/bushfire-smoke.aspx