Kwinana the Dumping Ground

Kwinana to be surround by stinking/polluting rubbish processing plants that no one else wants.


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.

Plans to Bulldoze Kwinana Industrial Buffer

Our Pollution Safety Buffer is there for a reason - To help protect people from the hazards of industry - Let's make sure it remains bushland.

It seems the Labor Government has secret plans to bulldoze our buffer.

It has recently come to light that the Labor Government plans to build a huge rail industrial project in the Buffer zone between Kwinana’s hazardous industries and residents. Few details are available but the project sounds extremely concerning to many of us in Kwinana.

The state Government has apparently been sitting on this for some time keeping Kwinana residents in the dark again. Apparently the proposal was to build the monstrosity in Minister Logan’s electorate of Cockburn, but because he can Minister Logan has apparently decided to dump it in the new seat of Kwinana instead.

(Note: This area was previously Fran Logan’s seat until electoral boundary changes. Roger Cook – former industrial lobbyist – is now the Labor candidate).

It is understood that the proposal is huge, said to take up much of the Kwinana industrial buffer zone land, between old Mandurah Road and Office Road from south of Thomas Road to as far down as the Rockingham-Kwinana cemetery.

Residents to the East of this proposal already suffer the effects of heavy and hazardous industry with noise regularly exceeding legal levels for the residential area. This proposal can only make it much worse with increase transport such as rail and trucks and the risks associated with loading, storing and transporting of who know what dangerous goods.

Once again this Government demonstrates that environmental and social justice does not exist when it comes to Kwinana.

Another fight ahead and a big fight it will be, at least it seems we will have other high profile people like state election independent candidate and Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams also fighting this one.

Why do the people of this area continue to vote for Labour candidates that continue to treat them like this? Wake up people your vote can change the situation.

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Another reason I will be voting Greens or Independent. Let’s hope others also see the light, but I won't be holding my breath.

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Update: Kwinana Industry is also opposed to this proposal.