Land-based clean-up program
The 2021 and 2022 floods left debris in waterways, along shorelines and on public and private lands. This program focusses on removing man-made flood debris left on public land and eligible private land.
When storms and floods in March 2021 washed large amounts of debris into our waterways, the EPA led the clean-up of our waterways and shorelines. Multiple floods in 2022 have generated a large amount of debris requiring further clean-up efforts. We continue to deliver a program to remove large and hazardous man-made flood debris left on public and private land.
The Land-based Clean-up Program focuses on clearing flood debris from public land and eligible debris on private land. The Program follows the largest ever clean-up of waterways and shorelines in NSW.
The EPA is leading this Program to help communities and councils to recover from the extreme weather events over the last two years. Public land includes council managed parks, reserves, and beaches. The Land-based Program is funded under the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
The program has been expanded this year to include the clean-up of eligible large or hazardous man-made flood debris that has washed or moved onto private land. This includes debris from alternative locations, as a result of flooding across impacted communities. This helps those landowners that do not have the skills, capacity, specialist equipment or financial means to remove debris.
We appointed MRA Consulting Group to project manage this program.
Who is eligible?
The Program is available to public land managers and owners or occupiers of private land within the declared local government disaster areas from the 2021 and 2022 storms and floods.
Benefits of the program
- The program will remove the cost and burden for community recovering from the flood events and benefit the local environment with the removal of flood debris.
- Cleaning up man-made flood debris which poses a risk to the environment and community safety.
- Debris is separated into waste types to allow for recycling or re-use and diversion from landfills where possible.
- Hazardous waste will be assessed and removed by qualified experts.
- Clean up focuses on debris that is safe to remove and does not result in additional environmental harm, especially on culturally sensitive sites.
How will it work?
Private land
Apply for support on the Service NSW website at: Request clean-up of flood debris on private land program
Additional information on eligibility criteria is available on the Service NSW website above and on the our flood recovery programs webpage.
Applications for the program are open until 31 December 2022.
When applications are submitted, applicants can contact MRA for updates at the flood recovery hotline on 0492 941 487 or email floodwaste@mraconsulting.com.au
Public land
Public land managers can contact MRA Consulting directly to assess sites on public land for eligibility on 0434 894 033 or email anika.gaur@mraconsulting.com.au
Local contractors are being used for the clean-up work where available and materials will be re-used or recycled wherever possible.
Fenced waste staging areas may be used as part of the clean-up program to temporarily and safely store debris that is collected before it is taken for recycling or disposal. Safety is a primary focus for the program.
What has been achieved so far?
238 public sites and 47 private properties have been cleaned up through the program to December 2022, with further sites scheduled for clean up in early 2023.
From those sites cleaned, 340 tonnes of debris has been disposed and 40 tonnes of debris has been recovered for recycling.
What is happening next?
Final applications for the Program can be made until 31 December 2022. Assistance beyond this date can be made via email to floodwaste@mraconsulting.com.au.
From January 2023, the Program will focus on cleaning up all sites and applications that are eligible for support, with the aim of completing clean up by 30 June 2023.
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