The Uleybury Landfill was owned and operated by the Northern Adelaide Waste Management Authority (NAWMA). Located on the site of a former quartzite quarry, the landfill operated from 2005 until its closure in June 2025.
As a best-practice balefill landfill, the facility was designed and managed with strict environmental controls and monitoring systems to protect the surrounding environment.
Over its 20 years of operation, the landfill safely managed residual waste from the northern metropolitan region. Stages 1, 2 and 3 have now been filled and capped and the site is currently undergoing revegetation using local plant species, with the aim of creating a landscape that complements the surrounding natural environment. NAWMA has a duty to continue monitoring this site for 30 years following its closure to ensure environmental standards are maintained.
Following the landfill’s closure, general waste collected through kerbside services in the Salisbury, Playford and Gawler Councils is now transported to the Integrated Waste Services (IWS) landfill at Dublin.
The closure of Uleybury Landfill has not impacted kerbside waste and recycling collections or public access to the Edinburgh North and Pooraka Resource Recovery Centre’s for residential and non-commercial use.
For an estimated 30 years after landfilling has finished, NAWMA will continue to monitor and manage the following to ensure environmental standards are met:
• Landfill gas management and extraction
• Surface water and ground water monitoring
• Leachate management and extraction
• Revegetation programs and monitoring of plant health
Leachate is contaminated water that has filtered through residual waste. Moisture from rainfall and the breakdown of organic matter trickles through waste, dissolving contaminants. The resultant leachate is a black liquid (resembling coca cola) that cannot be allowed to pollute the natural ground water (aquifer), which is located around 100 metres below the base of the landfill.
To protect the ground water, the site was constructed with a triple layer (clay and synthetic) liner that provides an impermeable barrier at the sides and base of the landfill (see photo). Leachate is collected on the surface of the liner and pumped to evaporation ponds. The dry matter left behind, is returned to the landfill. Ground water is monitored through regular testing of samples from a network of bores across the site to ensure acceptable environmental standards are upheld.
Cross section of Uleybury landfill base.
