Summerhill Waste Management Centre is located at 141 Minmi Road, Wallsend.

The Summerhill Waste Management Centre is a class 1 solid waste landfill managed by The City of Newcastle and licensed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to take putrescible and non-putrescible solid waste.

When can I take my waste to Summerhill?

Weekdays - 7.30am to 5pm
Weekends, Public holidays - 9am to 3pm
Christmas Day, Good Friday - Closed

Office hours

Weekdays ONLY – 8.30am to 4pm
Phone 02 4985 6600
Fax 02 4985 6605

The staff at Summerhill will assist you on site. Please follow their directions and advice and refer any queries to our office.

Summerhill pricing and payment - 2012/2013

The minimum tipping charge is $23 for all vehicles.

The above charges include GST, State Government Section 88 Levy ($93 per tonne) & carbon tax.

Prices are based on weight and minimum charges apply.

There are different prices for different waste types, providing a financial incentive to separate wastes and facilitate resource recovery.

Summerhill accepts cash, cheque, EFTPOS and credit card. Payments made by credit card will attract a 0.75% (GST incl.) surcharge

Payment by Credit Card over the phone will NOT be accepted.

Customers with a regular minimum payment of $1000 per month may be eligible to open an account.

Additional charges will apply when waste requires additional handling & management to ensure compliance with OHS legislation & environmental protection measures on site are maintained.

What waste can be accepted at Summerhill?

Typical putrescible solid wastes that can be accepted for disposal at Summerhill include

• household/municipal waste that includes food waste
• manure/night soil/disposable nappies
• food waste
• animal waste (including dead animals)
• screenings from sewage treatment plants.

Examples of non-putrescible solid wastes that can be accepted at Summerhill include

• clean fill (virgin excavated natural material)
• building and demolition wastes (excluding asbestos wastes)
• asphalt waste (e.g. from roads)
• waste from Council street sweepers
• non-putrescible vegetative waste from agriculture/horticulture
• wood waste
• office/packaging waste.

Separating inert wastes such as bricks, roof tiles and concrete (or any mixture of these materials) for recycling is a real opportunity to save money and reduce waste disposed to landfill.

Typical green waste accepted for reprocessing at Summerhill include

• untreated and unpainted garden waste
• branches (not stumps, max 300mm), leaves & brush
• lawn clippings.

These materials are turned into a range of compost and mulch products on-site. Products must be free from steel and plastic to be accepted as Green Waste. For more information contact the Centre on 02 4985 6600.

Summerhill ticket system

On arrival at Summerhill your load is weighed and the weighbridge operator will issue you with a ticket.  That ticket must be taken to the disposal site and then signed off the relevant site controller.

Vehicle under 2 tonnes proceed from the weighbridge to the Small Vehicles Receival Centre (SVRC) to unload. This facility is paved and covered.

All other vehicles are directed to either the putrescible landfill cell, non-putrescible landfill cell, green waste processing area, or sorted masonry processing area.

At the disposal/processing site, your weighbridge ticket should be presented to the site controller. That site controller will inspect your load and identify it on your ticket as either

• mixed putrescible solid waste
• mixed inert construction and demolition waste
• sorted (segregated) brick and concrete waste
• excavated soil
• green waste or
• special waste.

Validated tickets must be presented to the gatekeeper on departure to ensure your load is charged at the appropriate rate.

Special wastes

Council can only accept waste at Summerhill that conform to its licence conditions, as regulated by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority’s (EPA). Certain wastes are prohibited.

Other wastes have particular requirements attached to their disposal. Please see the following fact sheets for details.

•  Disposal of asbestos waste (56kb)
•  Disposal of asbestos contaminated soil (16kb)
•  Disposal of classified waste (14.9kb)
•  Disposal of dusty waste (38kb)
•  Disposal of special waste (34kb)
•  Disposal of prohibited waste (25kb)
•  Disposal of synthetic mineral fibres (13kb)
•  Special or classified waste checklist (30kb)

Summerhill does NOT accept

• liquid waste
• radioactive waste
• explosives
• hazardous waste (including pesticides, oxidising agents and corrosive substances)
• untreated clinical waste or sharps waste
• car bodies.

Typical special wastes include sewage screenings, animals, quarantine waste, treated clinical waste and offensive waste including advance notification of their delivery.

Enquiries and notification can be made during office hours (8:30am - 4pm weekdays).

Safety on site

Summerhill’s on-site safety procedures are in place for everyone’s protection and must be adhered to at all times. While on site we ask that you:

• wear closed shoes
• keep children inside your vehicle
• do not smoke
• obey speed limits and signs
• respect staff instructions.

Truck drivers must NOT uncover their loads before disposal. Drivers must seek instructions from staff about the appropriate disposal area. They must also ensure their trucks are on flat ground before tipping waste.

Waste reduction and resource recovery

Council actively looks for ways to reduce waste going to landfill. Much of the waste material brought to Summerhill has potential to be diverted from landfill and turned into valuable resources.

Government waste levies

The NSW Government charges a levy of $93.00 per tonne in Newcastle to be paid on all waste disposed of at Summerhill Waste Management Centre.

The Australian Government’s decision to include landfills within the Carbon Pricing Mechanism has added another layer of cost. Waste deposited in a landfill in 2012/13 will continue to produce methane gas for around 30 years, and these methane emissions give rise to carbon price liabilities for that period. As a result, Council must charge enough in 2012/13 to meet emission liabilities for that 30 year period. Estimating these future liabilities is an inexact science, but current modelling suggests that the Carbon Pricing Mechanism will add a further $26 per tonne for disposal of mixed waste. This fee must be included in 2012/13 disposal fees so that future generations are not required to pay for emissions from today’s wastes.