Leeton Council Moves to Close the Chapter on Asbestos-Ridden Yanco Landfill
So here’s something important happening right now in our region — after more than six decades, the Yanco landfill is finally being cleaned up and shut down for good. Yep, you heard that right — this site, which hasn’t operated as a public waste facility since 1961, is finally getting the attention it needs. The Leeton Shire Council has officially accepted a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to help rehabilitate and permanently close the old landfill.
Now, why is this such a big deal? Because the landfill site was found to contain asbestos. While the material isn’t friable — meaning it's not easily crumbled into airborne particles — it still poses a health risk. Back in 2018, the Council conducted a detailed site investigation, and what they found wasn’t great. There were contaminants in both the soil and surface, including asbestos cement. Understandably, that raised red flags.
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Following this discovery, the Council fenced off the site to stop public access and then got to work. They put together a proper Landfill Closure and Post-Closure Management Plan in 2021. Every fragment of asbestos was mapped using GPS, and excavation work was done to understand how deep the contamination runs. So, this isn’t just a quick fix — it’s a well-planned, detailed operation.
The total cost of the project is significantly more than the $300,000 grant — that funding only covers about 20 percent of what’s needed. The rest will come out of the Council’s waste reserves. Tenders for the actual remediation work are expected to go out in late 2025, and if all goes according to plan, work will start in mid-2026 and finish by early 2027.
And here’s the good news — the Council isn’t just closing the site and walking away. They’ve already identified it for potential regeneration through mass plantings of native trees, which is a great way to give something positive back to the community and the environment.
This move marks a major step forward in environmental responsibility and community safety. It's not just about shutting down an old landfill — it's about correcting the mistakes of the past, cleaning up legacy pollution, and thinking long-term about how we use and restore our public spaces. Leeton Shire is showing real leadership here, and it's something we should all take note of.
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