The taxpayer-funded multimillion-dollar clean-up of the former Truegain waste oil processing plant at Rutherford has been completed.
As a 2019 Newcastle Herald investigation revealed, the Truegain site was one of the most contaminated pieces of land in the Hunter.
The award-winning Dirty Deeds investigation revealed that the plant, also known as Australian Waste Oil Refineries, pumped vast quantities of chemicals and toxic waste into Hunter creeks.
Reports detailed severe safety risks for staff on site alongside fears of widespread environmental leaching into local neighbourhoods.
The site has undergone a two-stage remediation process over the past few years, led by Property and Development NSW's Waste Assets Management Corporation (WAMC) and backed by $19 million in state government funding.
Stage 1 involved the removal of more than 11,000 tonnes of industrial liquid waste, sludge, and above-ground infrastructure, including more than 400 storage tanks and intermediate bulk containers, from the site.
This phase was completed in late 2023.
The recently completed Stage 2 involved the removal of approximately 15,000 tonnes of contaminated soil from the 1.2-hectare site.
It also included the removal of hydrocarbon-impacted concrete slabs and the excavation of underground infrastructure including a 50,000-litre underground tank.
The site is now suitable for commercial or industrial use.
"With the completion of remediation work, what was once a blight on the local landscape has been transformed into a space that can be used to benefit the entire Maitland community," Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said.
"Since the site became the government's responsibility, we have made cleaning up this site our priority. We want to ensure future generations are not left with the legacy of gross environmental mismanagement."
"Property and Development NSW have done a good job of remediating this site. The agency is also remediating other sites across the Hunter, including the former Waratah Gasworks in Newcastle."
The former waste oil processing plant was abandoned in 2016 when Truegain lost its trade waste permit, had its environment protection licence suspended and entered liquidation.
Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison said the completion of the remediation process was a huge relief for the community.
"Everyone deserves to live in safe and clean environment, which is why the Minns Government prioritised this project," she said.
Local resident Ramona Cocco thanked those involved in the clean-up project.
"It is so nice to know that we, as a community, can finally move on and this site can be reused in a way that's beneficial to us all," she said.
