The Western Parkland City is the largest growth area in New South Wales and is projected to become an economic powerhouse, benefiting from direct access to the 24-hour Western Sydney International Airport. Over $20 billion in investments are currently planned, with globally competitive industries expected to create 200,000 new jobs over the next 20 years. By 2036, it is estimated that 1.5 million additional people will live west of Parramatta, requiring more than 184,500 new dwellings. This rapid growth will result in significant waste generation, including organic waste such as food waste and fats, oils, and greases, which will require dedicated infrastructure for collection and management. This situation presents a unique opportunity to manage organic waste to capture energy and nutrients, supporting circular economy principles.

Currently, more than 80% of Australia’s organic waste is disposed of in landfill, where it decomposes to form methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Governments at all levels are working to divert organic waste from landfills and move toward zero greenhouse gas emissions. Anaerobic digestion has been identified as a key technology to achieve these goals, as it provides an alternative treatment for organic waste streams. The NSW Waste and Sustainable Material Strategy 2041 identifies that, by 2030, anaerobic digestors will be needed to process 260,000 tonnes of organic waste per year in Greater Sydney. Anaerobic digestion produces biogas—a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide—which can be purified for electricity generation, used as a transport fuel, or as a replacement for natural gas. It also produces biosolids that contain valuable nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and trace materials like copper and zinc. However, less than one in five landfills currently capture and use the methane produced.

Sydney Water is planning to build the Upper Creek Advanced Water Recycling Centre (AWRC) at Kemps Creek to support the predicted population and economic growth in Western Sydney Parkland City. The AWRC will treat wastewater from homes and businesses, producing recycled water for a range of uses. Its treatment process will include anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge to generate biogas for energy and nutrient-rich biosolids for agricultural application. Anaerobic digestors can also process other organic wastes, such as food waste and fats, oils, and greases. These wastes can be treated separately or co-digested with sewage, a practice that has been successfully adopted internationally to create circular economy precincts and biorefinery hubs.

This study examined the economic, environmental, and other benefits the AWRC could provide by co-digesting sewage with organic waste from the Western Parkland City. The impacts assessed cover both the construction and operational phases of the AWRC, including food waste collection and transportation.