The geography of Perth, situated on a sandy coastal plain and relying heavily on groundwater as a source of potable water, meant new landfill sites were unlikely to be approved in the metropolitan region and existing ones were nearing capacity.

[1] As a consequence, the Government of Western Australia encouraged local councils to end their dependency on landfills by the year 2020 as the practice was not sustainable.

The facility is intended to take waste otherwise destined for landfill from the Cities of Armadale, Canning, Gosnells, Kwinana, Mandurah and South Perth, as well as the Shires of Murray and Serpentine-Jarrahdale.

[3] A third plant in western Australia, in Port Hedland, will use a different low temperature gasification technology, something initially envisioned for the East Rockingham facility as well.

Acciona had asked for an extension of the contract by 824 days and additional costs in the order of A$410 million to finish the project, claiming the COVID-19 pandemic as the source of delays, something the court rejected.