Shoalhaven City Council: Materials Recovery Facility

Shoalhaven City Council manages an extensive waste management and materials recovery operation located at the West Nowra Waste Depot. Serving a growing regional population, the council is moving away from traditional landfill reliance toward a modern circular economy model where waste isn’t just dumped, but repurposed into useful raw materials. 

At the core of the depot’s operations is a state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) capable of processing 25,000 tonnes of recyclables per year. In addition to processing household recycling, the depot houses specialised waste transformation hubs, including a rubber crumb plant, a glass sand processing facility, and an on-site micro-factory. By repurposing waste into high-value raw materials, Shoalhaven City Council continues to set a benchmark for regional municipal sustainability in Australia.

Watch our testimonial video: https://youtu.be/E0tRDBpgMOk

The Project Brief

To protect sensitive equipment, store bulk materials, and keep processing running smoothly in all weather conditions, Shoalhaven City Council needed a fast, flexible, and cost-effective infrastructure solution. Beyond all-weather protection, the brief called for rapid deployment to minimise site downtime, high vertical clearance to accommodate heavy loaders and trucks, and translucent covers to maximise natural daylight for safer, energy-efficient working environments. The shelters also needed the structural capability to integrate critical safety features, including an automated fire suppression system. Built from a long-standing partnership and a proven track record of successful project deliveries, the council selected Allshelter for custom-engineered, turnkey fabric shelters tailored to fit their specialised machinery and site layouts.

Our Shelter Solution

To solve these spatial and operational challenges, Shoalhaven City Council commissioned Allshelter to design and engineer five custom container-mounted fabric dome shelters, delivering 2,120 m² of total covered operational space:

• Commingled Feedstock Storage (12.2m W × 12.19m L × 5.9m H): Features a full rear endwall to create a protected, three-sided bay for raw recyclable material storage.
• Glass Sand Processing Facility (18.3m W × 30.5m L × 7.56m H): Designed for glass crushing operations, featuring a tall doorway endwall to accommodate continuous drive-through access for large haulage trucks.
• Micro-Factory Hub (12.2m W × 12.19m L × 5.9m H): Serves as an enclosed processing hub equipped with two full door endwalls, roller doors, and dedicated Personal Access (PA) doors, ensuring safe, separated pedestrian access during active forklift operations.
• Rubber Crumb Processing Facility (30.6m W × 24.38m L × 11.22m H): A high-clearance, clear-span structure housing the site’s tyre recycling plant, engineered to accommodate heavy machinery and high-reach equipment.
• Commingled Storage Shed (17.0m W × 30.5m L × 9.74m H): Serves as a primary feedstock storage and MRF intake buffer, featuring two full door endwalls with oversized doorways for heavy machinery access, and a fire suppression system in case of battery fires.

Why Allshelter?

Shoalhaven City Council’s decision to partner with Allshelter across multiple facility builds comes down to four key operational advantages:

• Unmatched Clear-Span Space: Without internal support columns blocking the floor, loaders and haul trucks can manoeuvre, turn, and tip feedstock safely without structural collision risks.
• Abundant Natural Daylight: Translucent fabric covers flood the interior with natural sunlight, reducing artificial lighting energy costs and improving visibility and safety for equipment operators during daytime shifts.
• Custom Engineering Flexibility: From custom 200mm container-mounting beams to conveyor belt wall penetrations and overhead fire suppression mounts, each shelter was engineered specifically around the site’s unique processing machinery.
• Fast, Cost-Effective Installation: Mounting shelters onto shipping containers avoids the high costs, complex civil foundations, and long lead times of building traditional steel sheds, getting processing plants up and running months faster.

By integrating Allshelter’s specialised fabric shelter infrastructure, the West Nowra Waste Depot established an adaptable, purpose-built recycling hub. This expanded footprint empowers the council to successfully scale its 25,000-tonne MRF operations while delivering a safer, more efficient facility.