Another step towards protecting the Waitaki coastline has been taken this week, as the liner was laid at the former Palmerston landfill as part of Project Reclaim.

Project Reclaim is a Waitaki District Council-led effort to reverse the effects of decades of illegal dumping at two locations on Beach Road (3km south of Ōamaru) and the long-since closed Hampden landfill, which operated between 1970 and 1996, next to the beach.

The Palmerston landfill was closed in October last year, to allow for the relocation of about 30,000 cubic metres of waste threatening the local coastal areas.

The construction of a lined cell to receive the waste has been ongoing at the former Palmerston landfill for the past several months, and the cell is now shaped and compacted, council solid waste manager Steve Clarke says.

It will be connected to the wastewater network allowing a safe and environmentally sustainable way for runoff to be removed.

Once the cell is ready to receive material, work will begin at coastal sites to remove the rubbish.

Coastal erosion in the Waitaki District has begun to encroach on the dumping sites, causing the potential for an environmental disaster if decades of waste material is released into the sea.

Project Reclaim aims to prevent this, while also ensuring the waste material is stored in a safe and environmentally responsible way, Steve says.