MYRTLEFORD Landfill and Recycling Centre has unearthed an unexpected surprise which will add almost another $300,000 to ratepayers' cost of rehabilitating the site.

Alpine Shire Council last year awarded a contract to Extons Pty Ltd to carry out cap construction of cells one and two at the landfill site in Morrisons Lane to meet Environment Protection Authority (EPA) compliance.

At last week's monthly council meeting a report to councillors explained that latent conditions were encountered when excavation of the landfill cells commenced.

The report said the original design approved by the EPA assumed a level of compaction within the existing landfill cell however, onsite conditions showed greater pockets of uncompacted fill and voids between landfill material.

"As a result, additional fill material needed to be imported, and extra compaction completed to achieve the desired densities of fill material...and the cost of rectifying the latent conditions requires further funding of $289,361," the report read.

Councillors were also told that a separation bund and roadway, costing $16,889, had to be constructed as additional safety measures to ensure patrons of the transfer station could move around the site safely and continue to dispose of all waste types while cell works were underway.

The meeting heard that both measures had to be addressed onsite immediately to avoid the contractor claiming stand down costs and approval was sought from councillors to retrospectively approve an unbudgeted variation of $306,250 - which they did unanimously.

The original contract of $2,224,670 (GST exclusive) for landfill works - which included unbudgeted expenditure of $1,375,071 - spread out out over 2024/25 and 2025/26 financial years, has now risen to $2,530,920.

Councillors were informed the unbudgeted expenditure of $306,250 will be funded from the Waste Reserve, however funding this unbudgeted cost will likely require an increase in the general waste charge in the 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years.