About ARRC
What is the Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC)?
The Advanced Resource Recovery Centre, or ARRC, is a planned precinct of recycling, resource recovery and energy facilities located at Yatala and Stapylton on the Gold Coast.
The precinct will bring together multiple facilities that process waste in different ways, ensuring materials are directed to their highest and best use. This includes recycling, organics processing and energy recovery from residual waste.
ARRC Gold Coast, a Council Controlled Entity, has been established to deliver and operate the precinct on behalf of the City of Gold Coast.
Why does the Gold Coast need ARRC?
Gold Coast landfills are expected to reach capacity by 2035 and there is limited suitable land available locally for new landfill sites.
Without new waste infrastructure, the City would need to transport waste to landfills outside the Gold Coast, significantly increasing costs for residents and creating additional environmental impacts.
The ARRC precinct provides a long-term solution that increases recycling, recovers valuable materials and reduces reliance on landfill.
Why can’t the Gold Coast simply find more landfill space?
Developing new landfill sites is increasingly difficult due to environmental, planning and land availability constraints. Sites must be located away from sensitive ecosystems, waterways and residential areas, and they must meet strict engineering and environmental standards.
On the Gold Coast, suitable land for large scale landfill development is no longer available.
For these reasons many growing cities are shifting towards integrated waste management approaches that prioritise recycling, resource recovery and energy recovery instead of relying solely on landfill.
Source: Queensland Government waste policy and landfill planning guidance.
Why is waste management so complex on the Gold Coast?
The Gold Coast services about 681,000 residents and more than 12 million residents
This means our waste management system needs to operate at a scale closer to one million people.
What facilities will be part of the ARRC precinct?
The ARRC precinct will include several complementary facilities designed to work together, including:
- the ARRC Organics facility to process green and organic waste (green bin) into compost, soil and mulch. This includes ‘drop and go’ green organics collected from the City’s waste and recycling centres. ARRC Organics is already operational in Yatala
- a materials recovery facility to sort and process household and commercial recyclable materials (yellow bin)
- a proposed residual waste-to-energy facility (red bin)
- a circular economy innovation and research park
- a community education hub.
Together, these facilities aim to increase recycling and recover value from waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill.
What are the benefits of the ARRC precinct?
The ARRC precinct is designed to deliver long-term environmental and economic benefits for the Gold Coast including:
- increased recycling and resource recovery
- reduced reliance on landfill
- local processing of waste
- renewable energy generation
- job creation and new circular economy industries.
The precinct will also help stabilise long-term waste management costs for residents by reducing reliance on landfill outside the Gold Coast.
How does the ARRC precinct support the circular economy?
The circular economy focuses on keeping materials in use for as long as possible through reuse, recycling and resource recovery.
The ARRC precinct is designed as an integrated system that supports this approach. Recycling facilities recover valuable materials such as metals, paper and plastics. Organics processing turns green and food waste into compost products. Proposed energy recovery facilities would manage residual waste that cannot be recycled, with byproducts such as ash and metals also repurposed.
By directing waste to its highest and best use, the precinct aims to reduce landfill, recover resources and support industries that reuse recycled materials in new products.
This approach aligns with waste and resource recovery strategies used across Australia and internationally.
Source: Australian circular economy policy frameworks and waste hierarchy principles.
What does the term ‘circular economy’ mean?
A circular economy is about getting more value from materials by keeping them in use for as long as possible. Instead of throwing things away, materials are reused, repaired or transformed into new products.
What does resource recovery mean?
Resource recovery is a broader term that includes recycling, composting and converting waste into energy. It focuses on extracting value from waste that would otherwise go to landfill.
What environmental standards will ARRC meet?
Facilities within the ARRC precinct will operate under strict environmental approvals issued by the Queensland Government.
For energy recovery facilities, Queensland policy requires compliance with world leading standards such as the European Union Best Available Techniques Reference Document for waste incineration.
These standards govern emissions, monitoring, operational controls and environmental protection.
How will the community be involved?
ARRC Gold Coast is committed to ongoing engagement with residents, businesses and stakeholders.
Engagement opportunities include:
- community reference groups
- online engagement platforms
- community pop-ups and information sessions
- First Nations consultation
- public reporting and updates.
Community feedback helps inform planning, design and implementation of projects across the ARRC precinct.
How can I stay informed or provide feedback?
You can subscribe to our e-newsletter hyperlink or visit our community page hyperlink to provide feedback.
About household recycling
What if I don’t have a red bin?
If you live in an apartment or complex, you may not have a red bin. Instead, you’ll use a general waste bin or chute, which serves the same purpose.
Where does my waste go in an apartment?
General waste → chute or shared bulk bin
Recycling → separate recycling bin (usually in basement or bin room)
Does general waste get recycled?
No. Waste placed in general waste bins (or chutes) is not recycled. To ensure recycling, items must be placed in the designated recycling bin.
If I live in an apartment, why do I have to take recycling downstairs?
Apartment living requires a different system. Just like taking a bin to the kerb at a house, residents need to carry recyclables to shared facilities.
Are apartments improving waste separation?
Yes. New developments are being designed with better waste separation systems, and future solutions are being explored to make recycling easier.
About ARRC Organics
How does ARRC Organics work?
Food and garden organic waste from your green bin is processed in ARRC Organic’s controlled and enclosed environment – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating mulch and compost for use across the Gold Coast.
What makes ARRC Organics different from other organics recycling facilities in Queensland?
ARRC Organics is the first facility in Queensland to incorporate an Advanced Composting Plant – an enclosed system operating under negative pressure to mitigate the release of nuisance odours into the atmosphere
What kind of material does ARRC Organics process?
ARRC Organics processes:
- green bin waste
- drop and go garden waste
- commercial organic waste (e.g. food processing waste).
What is ‘drop and go’ waste?
This is garden waste (like branches or tree cuttings) taken to Waste and Recycling Centres.
Where are drop and go locations?
Drop and go locations are:
- Pimpama
- Merrimac
- Molendinar
- Reedy Creek
- Stapylton
What materials should I be putting in my green bin?
Your green bin is an easy, convenient and environmentally friendly way to recycle your garden clippings at home. This includes cut grass, leaves, pruning and weeds.
Why is ARRC Organics not located in ARRC’s Stapylton precinct?
While the original plan had ARRC Organics located at our main Stapylton precinct, we subsequently identified an opportunity to acquire an already operating facility less than five kilometres away.
Compared to building a new facility, the purchase of an operating organics recycling facility saved significant construction and planning costs. It also allowed us to immediately implement a key part of ARRC’s plan – enabling a much faster timeframe for the community to enjoy the benefits of the facility.
Are there plans to expand ARRC Organics?
Yes, we are currently exploring plans to expand ARRC Organics to increase our capacity from 60,000 tonnes to 120,000 tonnes of green waste.
If I can’t put food waste in my green lid bin, what should I do with it?
Compost Revolution is a national initiative to encourage Australians to recycle their food scraps and reduce your waste.
ARRC has committed to funding Compost Revolution for another year (1 July 2026-30 June 2027) by providing up to $200,000 in subsidies. In practical terms, this means City of Gold Coast residents get up to 80% off the Recommended Retail Price on worm farms, bokashi and compost bins plus free delivery. See more here – www.compostrevolution.com.au/goldcoast
Why don’t we have FOGO on the Gold Coast?
At the moment, our focus is on processing residents’ garden waste and commercial food waste. Compost Revolution provides Gold Coast residents a great opportunity to recycle their food scraps at home. See more– www.compostrevolution.com.au/goldcoast
About ARRC Recycling
Why do we need a new materials recovery facility (MRF)?
The Gold Coast’s current materials recovery facility at Carrara is ageing and near the end of its operational life. The facility uses technology that is more than 20 years old, meaning it is less efficient at sorting recyclable materials and recovering resources compared with modern systems.
A new MRF would allow the Gold Coast to:
- Use modern sorting technology, including optical and AI-assisted systems, to recover recyclable materials more efficiently.
- Improve safety and site operations, addressing issues such as poor traffic flow and weather exposure at the current facility.
- Increase recovery performance, reducing the amount of recyclable material lost due to contamination or inefficient sorting.
- Integrate with the broader resource recovery precinct, supporting local recycling infrastructure and circular economy initiatives.
In short, a new facility would ensure the Gold Coast can continue to recover valuable materials from household recycling while using safer, more efficient and future-ready infrastructure.
Where are the Gold Coast’s recyclable materials processed currently?
Currently, recyclables from the Gold Coast’s yellow bins are processed at an existing materials recovery facility (MRF) in Carrara.
At this facility, mixed recyclables are sorted into different material streams such as paper and cardboard, glass, recyclable plastics, aluminium and steel. Once sorted, the recovered materials are sent to specialist recycling facilities, mostly within Australia, to be turned into new products.
Any contaminated materials that cannot be recycled are separated and sent to landfill.
Does recycling actually work or do materials go to landfill?
Recycling does work. Data from the current system shows that around 90% of the material placed in Gold Coast yellow bins is recovered for recycling, with only about 8–10% classified as contamination and sent to landfill. As a resident, you can help recycle more by ensuring you always put recyclable items like hard plastics, cardboard, glass and aluminium in the yellow bin. Learn more about sorting household waste
How much recycling does the Gold Coast currently process?
The Gold Coast currently processes about 38,000 tonnes of recyclables each year from household yellow bins. Future facilities are expected to be designed with capacity to support the city as it grows. You can read more about recycling rates in the City of Gold Coast’s Annual Report.
What materials should I put in my yellow bin?
Gold Coast City Council provides an excellent online resource, Recyclepedia, to help residents work out what which household items should be placed in their yellow bin.
What materials should I be putting in my green bin?
Your green bin is an easy, convenient and environmentally friendly way to recycle your garden clippings at home. This includes cut grass, leaves, pruning and weeds.
What’s the plan for recycling hard plastics?
As part of our recent announcement with Visy Recycling, we’ve committed to jointly conduct a feasibility study into hard plastics processing and recycling within ARRC’s Stapylton precinct. As our partnership with Visy progresses, we will keep the community updated on our plans.
About ARRC Energy
What is waste-to-energy?
Waste-to-energy is a process that converts non-recyclable waste into electricity.
It’s used for residual waste, meaning waste that can’t be reused, recycled or composted. Modern facilities generate energy while significantly reducing the volume of waste that would otherwise go to landfill.
What sorts of household materials will be processed by ARRC Energy?
ARRC Energy will process residual waste that cannot be recycled or recovered to generate energy. This includes residual municipal solid waste and commercial and industrial waste. Waste that is placed into you red lid/general waste bin. Forecast residual waste volumes for the Gold Coast are set to exceed 300,000 tonnes per annum by the early 2030s.
Haven’t similar projects in other parts of Australia been halted?
A number of new waste-to-energy projects are currently being progressed in Australia, particularly on the east coast. Australia has two operational facilities in Western Australia. That said, Australia’s historical reliance on creating more and more landfill means our country is a relative newcomer to the technology.
However, with more than 1,700 facilities operating worldwide, waste-to-energy is a globally recognised waste management solution. Rather than competing with recycling, waste-to-energy provides the Gold Coast with a tried-and-tested solution for handling non-recyclable waste – thereby advancing our circular economy objectives.
How confident are you that ARRC Energy can operate safely?
With more than 1,700 facilities operating worldwide, in both industrial and residential areas, waste-to-energy is a globally recognised waste management solution. These facilities have been operating in countries including Japan, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland and the UK for many years in a safe and environmentally responsible way.
How much will your waste-to-energy facility cost to build?
ARRC is currently assessing expressions of interest from parties interested in partnering with us to deliver a waste-to-energy facility. Early estimates for the facility are in the vicinity of $1.3 billion.
Will ratepayers pay the costs to build the waste-to-energy facility?
No. The residual waste-to-energy facility will be delivered through a partnership model between the City of Gold Coast and ARRC, and the experienced private sector proponent identified through the current expressions of interest process.
How do we make sure the private operator does the right thing by the environment?
The facility must comply with the Queensland Energy from Waste Policy and will be subject to rigorous environmental assessment and approval processes, including ongoing performance reporting. For example, air emissions will be continuously monitored, with results made publicly available to ensure transparency and keep the community informed. The City of Gold Coast will retain ownership of the land on which the facility is located and will control the supply of municipal waste delivered to it. Together, these measures provide the City and ARRC with strong oversight of the facility’s operations.
Does waste-to-energy replace recycling?
No. Recycling remains the priority under the waste hierarchy.
This refers to a priority framework that aims to maximise efficiency and minimise landfill waste by treating waste as a resource. The waste hierarchy prioritises waste management in the following order: avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover and dispose only as a last resort.
Waste-to-energy is only intended for residual waste that cannot be reused, recycled or composted. Energy recovery is considered preferable to landfill when no other recovery options are available.
The ARRC precinct has been designed so recycling and organics recovery occur before any residual waste is used for energy generation.
How does residual waste-to-energy compare with landfill from a health perspective?
Landfills generate methane and other gases as waste decomposes. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and can also contribute to odour and local air quality issues, particularly for nearby communities.
Modern residual waste-to-energy facilities use high-temperature combustion to safely treat waste that cannot be recycled, destroying harmful substances and significantly reducing waste volume. These facilities are equipped with advanced air pollution control systems that capture particulates, gases and other emissions before they are released, helping to protect air quality.
When compared to landfill, studies consistently show that well-regulated, modern waste-to-energy facilities can reduce overall environmental and health impacts, particularly when managing residual waste that would otherwise decompose in landfill.
How much waste can a residual waste-to-energy facility process?
The capacity of each facility is determined during the planning and approval process.
Facilities are designed to process residual waste that remains after recycling and organics recovery have occurred. The aim is to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill while recovering energy from materials that cannot be recycled.
The Gold Coast is expected to generate more than 300,000 tonnes of residual – or non-recyclable – waste each year by the early 2030s, even with ongoing improvements in recycling. At current disposal rates, the City’s landfills are projected to reach capacity by the mid-2030s.
This challenge extends beyond the Gold Coast and is being experienced across councils in South East Queensland, reinforcing the need for a coordinated and strategic approach to sustainable waste management.
Facility capacity is determined through detailed planning and approval processes. As part of procurement, ARRC will work with bidders to identify the most appropriate and cost-effective facility size.
How does waste-to-energy support climate outcomes?
Waste-to-energy supports climate outcomes primarily by preventing methane emissions from landfill. When organic and residual waste breaks down in landfill, it releases methane – a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. By diverting this waste and treating it in a controlled facility, those emissions are largely avoided.
Waste-to-energy also recovers energy from materials that cannot be recycled, reducing reliance on fossil fuels such as coal. This helps lower overall emissions from energy generation while ensuring residual waste is managed responsibly.
In Queensland, this is underpinned by the Queensland Energy from Waste Policy, which enforces the waste hierarchy – meaning reduction, reuse and recycling must always come first. The policy requires proven technologies and strict environmental controls, including compliance with internationally recognised standards such as the European Union Best Available Techniques for waste incineration.
Together, this ensures waste-to-energy delivers climate benefits while protecting human health and the environment.