Wednesday 25 March 2009

RRC Composting Facility in McLaughlan Rd

We alerted Windsor Hills Orelia residents to the proposal for the Rivers Regional Council (RRC) to build a composting facility in McLaughlan Road Kwinana some 750 metres from the residential area.

A meeting was on held on Monday night to hear the proposal first hand from the proponent. People well and truly expressed their views that this composting facility is not wanted.

This community is outraged that waste from 7 other councils is going to be dumped in Kwinana for processing and they will have to live with the consequences. The principles of Environmental Justice are once again being ignored.

Also of major concern is the potential impact on the Spectacles Wetlands just over the road from the proposed site.

We learned that the Proposal has already been advertised by the EPA to be assessed at a ARI level (assessment on referral information) , absolute madness given the history of the SMRC composting facility. So the objective is to have this proposal assessed at at least PER level (Public Environmental Review) or higher.

The Kwinana Council is so far remaining publicly silent on the issue, but they probably should because in my view they seem to have a huge conflict of interest on the issue - How can the TOK continue support the SMRC Canning Vale facility at the detriment of local residents and support the construction of a SMRC facilty in Millar Road - while opposing this facilty in McLaghlain Road proposal?

The battle has just begun.

Other Pages on Topic:

Original Blog
The assessment process fact sheet (pdf) from EDO WA.
Spectacles
Town of Kwinana Portfolio of Cr. Sandra Lee
Rivers Regional Council
EPA
DEC
CMOAG

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Environmental Justice" principles? And which ones are they? GRI? Shove the waste in a landfill instead? A case of NIMBY.

Steve said...

No don't shove the waste in landfill , but treat it in the richer communities where it is produced and that are members of this rivers regional council, rather than dumping all the crap that no-one else wants in Kwinana. Don't you think we have enough to contend with? there are principles of environmental justice see: http://steve-kwinana.blogspot.com/2008/06/does-environmental-justice-exist-in.html