About Breen Macarthur Recycling Centre
The Downes family has been living, farming and preserving a precious ecosystem at Brownlow Hill since 1859. Maintaining and enhancing the unique environment of the Brownlow Hill Estate is at the heart of everything the family does. Their vision is for all operations at the Estate to be examples of environmentally sustainable practice.
Since 2019, the family has considered a number of different solutions to rehabilitate the existing sandstone quarry at Brownlow Hill, which is nearing the end of operations.
Following consultation in 2021 (on what was then the Wattle Creek Recycling Centre proposal), the Downes family has partnered with experienced operator, Breen Resources, to develop a refined proposal for a resource recovery and recycling facility at Brownlow Hill – the Breen Macarthur Recycling Centre.
Community feedback has played a big part in shaping this proposal and will continue to help inform its design.
The proposal will provide an opportunity to sustainably rehabilitate the void left by the quarry, and to plant 8.5 hectares of new Cumberland Plain Woodland – which is an important but increasingly rare ecological community.
Image below is of the existing sandstone quarry
Like many people on the land, Brownlow Hill face changing times and need to diversify in order to keep the heritage value of the property intact and enhance the ecological significance of this site in the Sydney basin.
The recycling centre provides an opportunity to achieve this.
Key features of the proposal include:
The new proposal is similar to what was introduced to the community last year, with some notable improvements. It involves a resource recovery and recycling facility that will receive recyclable materials for reuse, while all non-recyclable materials will be used to fill the quarry void. The Breen Macarthur Recycling Centre will:
Accept only dry, inert, non-odorous and non-hazardous materials
Make a positive contribution to NSW’s circular economy by enabling the reuse of construction materials for local projects and supporting the area’s need for prudent waste management solutions
Rehabilitate 8.5 ha with Cumberland Plain Woodland species.
New or improved elements from the previous proposal:
Breen Resources has been selected as a single, trusted site operations manager
Materials will now be consolidated at an external Breen Resources site before being transported to Brownlow Hill. This means a smaller number of trucks will be required to deliver the materials
The site will have capacity to receive 280,000 tonnes per annum. Of this:
130,000 tonnes per annum will be used to fill the quarry
150,000 tonnes per annum will be recovered by the recycling facility.
The proposal brochure is available for download here
NSW Circular Economy.
The Downes family has established a long-term partnership with Breen Resources – a reputable and experienced resource recovery and recycling centre operator.
Breen specialise in soil remediation and the recovery of construction and demolition materials in the Sydney region. They are licensed by the NSW Environment Protection Authority and must meet their criteria in all their operations.
Breen take their environmental responsibilities seriously and are proud of their unblemished track record.
Click here for further information about the Breen Resources partnership
