By Mark Hammel, Acting Mayor and Chair of Planning & Environment, City of Gold Coast Council
Across Queensland, local governments are facing a shared challenge: how do we manage growth sustainably while protecting the environment and ensuring long-term prosperity for our communities?
On the Gold Coast, we are acting now to address this challenge with clear intent and a long-term view. Within two decades, we’ll be home to nearly one million residents — and with that growth comes a clear responsibility to think differently about how we manage our waste and resources.
With landfill sites nearing capacity and recycling rates plateauing, it is clear the status quo cannot meet our city’s future needs. The cost of inaction — both environmental and financial — continues to rise. The State Government’s waste levy is increasing, and rightly so. The rise in the levy reflects the true cost of disposal and drives change toward innovative, sustainable and circular solutions.
As a city, our planning and analysis made it clear that incremental improvements alone would not solve this challenge. The scale of the problem demanded a bold, transformative response — and Gold Coast Council responded with a landmark, city-shaping decision to build the Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC).
A bold alternative: Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC)
The City of Gold Coast is now several years into delivering the Advanced Resource Recovery Centre (ARRC) Precinct — a $1.6 billion circular economy hub at Stapylton on the northern Gold Coast that redefines how local government can lead large-scale sustainability outcomes.
The ARRC Precinct brings together proven and complementary facilities that will recover more resources, generate local energy and reduce our reliance on landfill.
The precinct includes:
A Materials Recovery Facility: to improve recycling efficiency and capture more value.
The ARRC Organics Facility: already operational and diverting over 50,000 tonnes of organic waste from landfill each year.
A Residual Waste-to-Energy Facility: that will safely convert non-recyclable waste into renewable energy.
A Circular Economy Innovation and Research Park: bringing together circular industries, start-ups, and universities to co-develop new solutions.
And a Community Education Hub: connecting residents, students and businesses to the circular economy through hands-on learning and engagement.
Each component plays a role in reducing emissions, generating local energy, and creating new green jobs. Together, they represent a whole-of-region approach that moves beyond recycling to true resource transformation.
Built with the community, not just for it
The City’s approach to the ARRC has always been grounded in transparency and inclusion. We recognised early on that projects of this scale only succeed when the community is part of the journey. Our Council has engaged through community reference groups, pop-up sessions, and online forums that have reached thousands of residents. We’ve worked closely with First Nations stakeholders to respect cultural heritage and traditional knowledge. And we’ve maintained open reporting and feedback loops so residents can see how their input is shaping outcomes.
In parallel, we’ve worked with industry leaders across waste, energy and logistics to test ideas, attract expertise and ensure we deploy safe, proven technologies suited to Queensland’s context.
This collaborative approach is helping build trust, transparency and local ownership — essential foundations for a project of this scale. The ARRC Precinct has been shaped with our community at every stage, not delivered to them as an afterthought.
The road ahead
Construction of the ARRC Precinct will begin in 2027, with staged delivery across the decade. The project will create more than 2000 jobs during construction and support ongoing roles once operational. It will drive regional investment and attract industries aligned with circular economy outcomes.
The next step is the establishment of ARRC Gold Coast, a council-controlled company with a skills- based board to oversee delivery, governance and innovation.
Our ambition extends well beyond the city boundary. For example, we are currently exploring opportunities with Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads to adapt the Ormeau rail facility for residual waste freight — using off-peak rail capacity to move materials more efficiently and reduce truck movements.
This kind of collaboration — between councils, government and industry — is exactly what will underpin Queensland’s future circular economy network.
Collaboration is the key
The ARRC is not just a project for the Gold Coast; it’s designed as a regional facility that delivers benefits across Southeast Queensland and beyond.
Local governments have a critical role to play in driving the circular economy — not just as regulators, but as enablers, investors and collaborators.
To make real progress, we need to work together, not compete against one another.
Whether through Council of Mayors (SEQ), Southwest or Central Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils or other regional alliances, collaboration will deliver the greatest environmental, economic and social returns for our collective communities.
The City of Gold Coast stands ready to share our lessons, partner on solutions and help other councils deliver projects tailored to their scale and needs.
Leading the transition
Queensland has an enormous opportunity to lead the nation in circular economy innovation. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the Kwinana Energy Recovery Facility in Western Australia, which will be the first facility in Australia to integrate the recovery and reuse of waste with the generation of electricity, delivering renewable baseload power to a large metropolitan population and an industrial base. This fact-finding visit reinforced that what we are doing with the ARRC Energy Facility is not only feasible but represents a proof of concept for Queensland.
By aligning our efforts — across governments, industries and communities — we can build a future that is cleaner, smarter and more sustainable for all Queenslanders.
I welcome collaboration with councils, industry and community leaders who share this ambition.
To learn more about the ARRC, visit: arrcgoldcoast.com.
