Lismore City Council's Recycling and Recovery Centre, sometimes called the tip or waste facility, suffered catastrophic damage two years and nine months ago.

The damage was so severe that all of the LGAs' (local government area) weekly red bin waste pick-ups are being trucked to Ipswich in western Brisbane due to the loss of Cell 2B.

There have been calls to make the East Lismore site operable once again, given the amount of time that has passed since the big flood of February 2022 ripped through the Recycling and Recovery Centre and the Sewage Treatment Plant.

The Lismore App sat down with the two people whose task is to plan, design and rebuild the facility to bring it back online. Kim Taylor is the Director of the Development for Waste and Water Program, and Matt Potter is the Head of Waste and Water for Lismore City Council.

"Our active cell was completely inundated. It's remarkable watching the time-lapse video that we just happen to have installed at the time," Kim explained.

"In this time-lapse video, grey skies, you see the rain pass through day and night, and then you see very heavy rain. You start seeing the water level rise in the background, and you see a little boom; it's over at the STP (sewage treatment plant), like just a flash of light when the transformer blew up. Then you see, what was a landfill cell, is just a body of water. It's remarkable. And it puts the challenge in context.

"When it drains away, you can see the damage along one side, where the liner has pulled back."

To give you an indication of size, Cell 2B is approximately 100 metres square and 4 metres deep.

The problem Kim and Matt have had at the site is waiting for the water to subside to inspect the whole cell so they can ascertain exactly what the damage is and what needs to be done to fix it and make it operational again. This is not as simple as pumping all the water out of Cell 2B because of the pollutants contained in it. There are EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) guidelines that need to be adhered to.

Before the minor flood at the end of September, Cell 2B was 7-10 days away from being empty. So, apart from the immediate removal of rubbish from different floodways, not a lot has happened across the site. Whenever it rains, this adds more time to the Cell 2B solution, which is particularly difficult during storm season; now in full swing.

Even when the water is empty, a detailed assessment of the damage is complete and a new cell lining is ordered and delivered, the landfill at the waste facility is looking at a 2026 reopening. That is without knowing what damage has been done underneath the lining.

(The damage done to Cell 2B at the Lismore Recycling and Recovery Centre. Photo: supplied)

Lismore City Council’s Chief Operating Officer Brendan Logan agrees this not an ideal situation for the community.

“The option of going to Ipswich is unfortunate, but it is a pragmatic way of assisting at present. And as for the dewatering of the waste cell, we cannot continue to be at the mercy of the rain forever. At some point we may need to think outside of the square, and engage with our State Government colleagues on alternative solutions. It has been occupying my mind, and I am asking the team to look at this”.

Lismore City Council say they are hoping to be able to share further information about the Lismore City Council's Recycling and Recovery Centre in the coming weeks.