Closure and post-closure costs

The Landfill Full Cost Accounting for New Zealand includes guidance for costing closure and aftercare costs.

Key financial considerations for closure and post-closure are:

In order to determine the cost of closure and post-closure care the landfill owner/operator must determine the steps necessary, as required by the resource consent conditions, to close a facility as well as care for the facility during post-closure.
Closure and post-closure costs are scale-dependent and could be a significant part of the facility tipping fee.
Design, construction, operating practices, and maintenance are all factors that influence potential closure and post-closure costs, as well as remediation/corrective actions.
It is important to apply site-specific cost models when developing closure and post-closure cost estimates.
Actual historical costs from site operations and construction activities should be used whenever possible. Cost guidelines and estimates from published sources should only be used as supplementary reference materials.
Applying any typical per hectare costs to sites should be avoided, as these could grossly underestimate or overestimate closure and post-closure costs.

This guide includes typical costs for a variety of post closure costs.

Last updated: 17 September 2007

Waste