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Landfill Business Loan

Running a landfill business can be a lucrative enterprise, but you'll need finance to get it off the ground.

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Stacey Cole
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Australia's ever growing population is causing new residential developments to be built at an impressive rate. To match the demand, roadways and public transport initiatives continue to be rolled out to service new residential suburbs. Ongoing residential development and new infrastructure projects, coupled with Australia's ever-increasing population, has seen demand for landfill sites rise to peak levels. More people leads to greater consumer and business waste, while construction and infrastructure causes increased demand for the disposal of construction materials, soil and other natural waste.

For experienced investors and people with valuable waste management skills, a landfill business can be a profitable enterprise. Read on to find out how to run your own landfill site after being approved for a landfill business loan and how to increase your chances of a successful business loan application.

Landfill business loans you can apply for

Data updated regularly
Name Product Min. Loan Amount Max. Loan Amount Loan Term Upfront Fee Filter Values
Moula Business Loan
Moula Business Loan
$5,000
$250,000
1 to 2 years
2% Establishment fee
A loan of up to $250,000 that can be approved and funded within 24 hours. Available to businesses with 6+ months operating history and $5,000+ monthly sales.
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Zip Business Loan
Zip Business Loan
$10,000
$500,000
6 months to 3 years
No Establishment fee
Borrow up to $500,000 with loan terms of up to 3 years. Flexible weekly, fortnightly and monthly repayment options available with no early repayment fees.
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ebroker Business Loan
ebroker Business Loan
$5,000
$5,000,000
1 month to 30 years
$0 application fee
Small business loans available between $5,000 and $5,000,000. Get access to 70+ non-bank lenders on this independent platform.
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Lumi Unsecured Business Loan
Lumi Unsecured Business Loan
$5,000
$300,000
3 months to 3 years
2.5% establishment fee
Apply for up to $300,000 from Lumi and benefit from short loan terms, no early repayment fees and once approved receive your funds in just one business day.
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Max Funding Unsecured Business Loan
Max Funding Unsecured Business Loan
$3,000
$30,000
1 month to 1 year
$0 application fee
An unsecured business loan from $3,000 that offers convenient pre-approval and no early repayment fees.
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Valiant Finance Business Loan Broker
Valiant Finance Business Loan Broker
$5,000
$1,000,000
3 months to 5 years
$0 application fee
A Business Lending Specialist from Valiant Finance can give you access to competitive business loans from over 70 lenders. Loans between $5,000 and $1 million are available. Request a call – your loan can be funded in 1 business day.
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Octet Trade Finance
Octet Trade Finance
$200,000
$8,000,000
1 month to 2 years
Transaction fee 2.5%
Access a line of credit to pay suppliers in over 65 countries. Borrow from $200,000 up to $7 million.
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OnDeck Business Loans
OnDeck Business Loans
$10,000
$250,000
6 months to 2 years
3% of loan amount
Apply for up to $250,000 and receive your approved funds in one business day. Minimum annual turnover of $100,000 and 1 year of trading history required.
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Heritage Bank Fully Drawn Business Loan
Heritage Bank Fully Drawn Business Loan
$20,000
No maximum amount
1 to 25 years
Application fee is available upon application
Get access to a loan from $20,000 with no maximum limit with Heritage Bank. Loans can be secured by residential and non-residential property and have terms of up to 25 years.
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Prospa Business Loan
Prospa Business Loan
$5,000
$300,000
3 months to 3 years
3% origination fee
Small business loans are available from $5,000 - $300,000 on terms of up to 3 years. At least six months trading history and a monthly turnover from $6,000 is necessary.
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Westpac Business Loan
Westpac Business Loan
$20,000
$1,000,000
1 to 30 years
$0 application fee
Purchase a new vehicle, equipment or support your cash flow with a business finance solution from Westpac.
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ANZ Secured Business Loan
ANZ Secured Business Loan
$10,000
$10,000,000
Up to 15 years
$600
Benefit from a low rate when you secure this loan with property and/or business assets. Loans from $10,000 available.
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ANZ Unsecured Business Loan
ANZ Unsecured Business Loan
$10,000
$1,000,000
Up to 15 years
$600
Apply for a loan from $10,000 with no security required and benefit from flexible repayment terms.
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Choosing and evaluating a landfill site

Licences, approvals and guidelines

Under irresponsible management, landfill sites are potentially hazardous and can involve significant risk to the environment, including contamination to soil or nearby water supplies. As such, the management of landfill sites is strictly regulated under Commonwealth legislation as well as under state and territory legislation.

Each Australian state and territory has its own environmental management body that sets minimum guidelines for the operation of landfill sites. These guidelines will include ongoing reporting and monitoring requirements, ongoing waste stabilisation measures, ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the landfill site and the requirement to extract usable resources from waste where possible.

Before making an offer to purchase a landfill site or beginning the finance application process, ensure that you have met all these guidelines and obtained all the necessary licences. Your finance application will not proceed until you have met these requirements, and your application will look much stronger if you can demonstrate a clear understanding of the applicable licencing requirements.

Understanding the life span of a landfill site

Landfill sites are in a unique category compared to other commercial land as they have a finite life span. A landfill site can only accept a certain volume of waste before it closes down. Once a landfill site has reached its capacity, it will no longer be of any use and cannot be sold or leased out for other business purposes.

It is important to know the life span of a landfill site before purchasing the site. You are unlikely to get approval for a landfill business loan with a loan term longer than the life span of the site. Similarly, a landfill site with a remaining life span of seven years is much more likely to be approved than a similar site with only two years remaining, regardless of the financial circumstances of the borrower.

During the loan application process, the lender will order a valuation report which can only be undertaken by a specialist landfill valuer, and you will need to pay for the cost of the valuation. If the valuation uncovers that the landfill site's life span is too short to make it a viable business endeavour, the lender will deny the loan application, and you will have wasted the money spent on the preparation of the report. You may want to get a valuation yourself before approaching a lender, so that the lender won't reject your loan application based on a short life span.

Finding finance to purchase a landfill site

How do lenders see applications for a landfill business loan?

Unlike the majority of commercial developments, such as factories and office buildings, landfill sites are considered highly specialised commercial property. This is because landfill sites can only be used for one purpose and cannot be converted to other uses in the future. As such, lenders typically apply more stringent loan criteria for landfill business loans than for standard commercial property loans.

Unlike residential property mortgages, lenders who offer commercial loans are not tightly regulated and do not need to publish their loan criteria, interest rates and other loan terms. In the case of highly specialised commercial properties like a landfill site, lenders look at loan applications on a case-by-case basis. The chances of your lender approving your loan application will come down to the strength of your application, your ability to meet the lender's loan criteria and your individual financial circumstances.

Standard loan terms

Given that applications for a landfill business loan are generally considered on a case-by-case basis and that loan criteria can vary substantially between lenders, there are no standard loan terms that are applicable to all landfill business loans.

However, as a guide, the following loan terms may apply:

  • Loan amount. You can apply for up to 50% of the value of the property. This amount could increase to up to 100% if you get a business loan with a guarantor.
  • Security. You can use the landfill site itself as security for the loan. The loan amount may increase if you also offer residential property as additional security for the loan. In some instances, the lender will accept a freehold commercial property as security for the loan; however, this will not provide the same benefits as a residential property.
  • Loan term. Loan terms for landfill business loans tend to be between five and ten years. The loan term will also typically be linked to the life span of the landfill site.
  • Evidence of income. Low doc and no-doc loans are unlikely to be available for a landfill business loan. You will need to provide full evidence of your income to accompany your loan application.
  • Interest rate. This will vary depending on the strength of your application, the financial circumstances of the landfill business itself and a variety of other factors.

How to apply for a landfill business loan

You will need to provide a comprehensive business plan as part of the loan application process. This business plan should include cash-flow forecasting and is best created in consultation with a qualified accountant. Be prepared to provide your personal tax returns for at least the last two years along with financial documents for any businesses you have run in the same time period.

If you are planning on running the landfill site yourself, you will need to demonstrate significant experience in the landfill industry. Update your résumé with all relevant experience, and approach this portion of the loan application process as you would a job interview. After all, the lender needs to be satisfied that you have the qualifications and experience necessary in order to run a successful and profitable landfill business.

If a landfill business is already operating on the site, you will need to provide full financial documentation for the business along with proof that a long-term lease is in place.

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