The current resource consent for air discharges for the Whitford Landfill will expire on 30 April 2026.
We’re applying to renew our air discharge consent for Whitford Landfill, to align this with the expiry of the other resource consents for the Whitford Landfill, which expire in 2041. There is no proposed increase in the scale of landfill operations than what is already consented.
The air discharge consent covers conditions around airborne emissions like odour, dust, and landfill gas (LFG), which the landfill must comply with and does so under its existing air discharge consent. The landfill has several systems in place to minimise any effects on the surrounding community. In seeking this renewal, we’re carefully looking at the following potential air discharges:
Landfill odours can be unpleasant, especially if experienced regularly. That’s why Whitford Landfill operates under strict consent conditions to minimise odour.
While odours can occasionally be noticed off-site, technical assessments, regular monitoring by WDS, and compliance reviews by Auckland Council show they are generally not strong enough to be considered offensive or objectionable.
To further ensure this, we proactively monitor and record odour readings around the landfill site, investigate any public reports of odour as soon as possible, and deploy additional mitigation techniques, such as odour cannons, to address any odour concerns. Whitford Landfill also operates under an Odour Management Plan, which is reviewed annually and approved by Auckland Council.
Activities at the landfill may produce coarse dust, for example, from gravel roadways, which can affect visibility and settle on nearby structures. However, with control measures in place (such as water spraying), dust is effectively managed to ensure it is not a nuisance onsite or to the community.
As organic waste breaks down, it produces landfill gas which is comprised predominantly of methane and carbon dioxide. Along with WM’s other world-class, modern engineered landfills, Whitford Landfill has a gas collection system that captures up to 95% of the LFG and sends it to the onsite Energy Park. There, it is used to generate electricity for the local grid or is safely flared off.
While this process does release emissions, these have been recently assessed by our technical experts and found to be below relevant air quality guideline limits.
Collection of LFG is important to us and is a beneficial resource that we don’t want to waste but some minor LFG leaks can occur, usually due to issues like cracks in the soil cover. We carry out regular surface checks using a drone and handheld devices, where any leaks found are quickly repaired to keep emissions to a minimum. Our regular odour monitoring around the landfill also assists in identifying if any LFG is being released inadvertently.
Rainwater that filters through the landfill becomes leachate. Our existing leachate management system captures leachate from the landfill and is stored, treated, and redistributed back into the landfill or onto land. To future-proof the system and create additional leachate management capacity, we are proposing to add a leachate evaporator to our existing leachate management system.
The evaporator uses landfill gas to safely evaporate the liquid. The resulting water vapour is released through a stack, and the concentrated matter is returned to the landfill. The emissions from this process are similar to those from the flares, and generators have been assessed to be well below air quality guideline limits.
We are currently preparing to renew our resource consent, which is planned to be submitted to Auckland Council in September 2025. We are taking the opportunity to review our operational controls and how these could possibly be improved to further mitigate any air discharge effects, including an update to the Landfill Management Plan, which will be provided with the consent application.
Your feedback is important and will form part of the application, so feel free to get in touch with us directly at consultation@wm.nz or join us to learn more at our drop-in session on Thursday, 5 June 2025, at Whitford Community Hall.
Dates: Thursday, 5 June 2025
Time: 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Location: Whitford Community Hall, 1 Whitford-Maraetai Road, Whitford
Email: consultation@wm.nz
