1. The Southern Metro Regional Council – SMRC plan building another recource recovery centre (composting facility) in Millard Road Rockingham on the South side of Kwinana. SMRC has a long history of poor odour management of its Canningvale facilitiy and of providing misleading information to the public over problems with its operations.
2. The South East Metro Regional Council - SEMRC plan on building a resource recovery centre (fancy wording for a rubbish composting facility) in McLaughlan Road on the North side of Kwinana a short distance from Orelia and 700 metres from homes in the suburb of Windsor Hills.
In 2005 the Kwinana Progress Association and Conservation of Rockingham Environment exposed the SMRC recycling scam where SMRC were burying recyclable material from domestic yellow top bins in various landfills including Rockingham (pictured). SMRC at first denied this but we exposed the scam by tracking trucks and photographing the recyclables being buried, SMRC then made more misleading claims on how much was being buried and why. This was exposed in the Sunday Times.
The SMRC has a very long and very poor track record of managing odour problems at its Canning Vale composting facility and a long history of misleading the public over these odour issues. The local communities of Canning Vale and Leeming have been fighting SMRC over odour and possible health issues for many years. SMRC for over a year denied that it was responsible for the odour problems in that area, but all along the local community knew it was responsible. Eventually the DEC got involved and had the SMRC plant shutdown while some improvements were made. The local community claims the odour problems still exist but now SMRC attempts to mask the odour with chemicals.
Now SMRC want to build a composting plant on the South side of Kwinana to process the South Metro regions rubbish (ie: 7 Councils green bins contents) and SEMRC want to build a composting plant on the North side of Kwinana.
We will be surrounded by stinking/polluting plants. I have no doubt that odour problems will occur in Kwinana, but probably the most concerning questions are:– can the local Government that is SMRC be trusted by the community? Why would SEMRC not build their plant in one of their own shires, why should the people of Kwinana suffer the effects of their waste problems, how much will SEMRC actually care about the effects on us?
Once again we found out about this through the grape vine, no consultation whatsoever, not even with those residents who live ~700 metres from the site and that will be exposed the most.
Another prime example that Environemntal and Social Justice does not exist in Kwinana. Why? Because we are in a safe Labor seat so no one in Politics cares.
Another fight ahead and fight we will.
See Canning Melville Odour Action Group web site here.
Update 22-08-08: Blog post modified and corrected to include both composting plants.
6 comments:
I did a story on that when I was down there. The official word was that the Town of Kwinana knew about the problems at the Canning Vale plant but didn't think it would be a problem in Kwinana.
I wrote an article about this a while back when I was working down there. The official line from the Town was that they knew about the problems at Canning Vale but were sure things would be different in Kwinana...
Yes Dave, The big difference between the two proposals is that Kwinana Council supports the SMRC facility because they are a member council of SMRC... The do know the history of SMRC but choose not to take thiss into account when mking the decision, rather strange seeing many of out councilors live downwind of the proposed site at Millar Road. Both these proposed technologies have past issues. It seem unbelievable that anyone would continue to support these proposals in such close proximity to residential areas.
As a member of the Leeming Community I have no confidence in the management of the SMRC to fix the odour problems Kwinana resident should be concerned if the same technology is used
Rod
Hi Steve
Yep, you're spot on.
Steve, Kwinana does not deserve to have a facility like this dumped on them, especially when Kwinana is going through enough already.
There are many councillors within the participating councils of the SMRC that know full well of what is occurring. And it's no secret that the few councillors that do care and voice their serious concerns about the RRRC WCF odour are publicly crucified for doing so by those who support the RRRC WCF.
Supporters of the SMRC and the RRRC WCF have mocked and continued to play down the genuine suffering of residents. To allow so many families and pets to continue to have the RRRC WCF odour afflicted on them indicates the little respect that Councils have for rate-payers lives and health, not to mention rate-payers money - when they’re blowing it on a facility that continues to fail, is running at a loss, and breaches the environmental act. Residents complaining of blood noses, migraines, rashes, severe breathing problems, dizzy spells, throwing up, burning eyes, nose and throat... when they experience the RRRC WCF odour is hardly something to take lightly.
Kind regards
Mandy
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