Public Outcry and Tight Restrictions Lead to Reprieve for RRRC

The Government's decision to reopen the household waste processor of the $100m Regional Resource Recovery Centre facility in Canning Vale under strict license conditions was welcomed by Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren.
"Along with many in the community, I criticised the Government's announcement it intended to close the plant without any plan for how to manage the 15 per cent of metropolitan waste currently being processed there," Ms MacLaren said.
"I tabled a petition opposing the closure of several hundred signatures just days before the Minister announced the license was extended." said Ms MacLaren.
"The waste was due to be dumped in landfill, releasing 70,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere."
Closure was prompted by a meeting between Joe Francis MLA (Jandakot), Mike Nahan MLA (Riverton), the Premier Colin Barnett and the Minister for the Environment Bill Marmion MLA held on Thursday 22 March at Parliament House.
"The closure of the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council's plant was threatened as a result of complaints about odours, but instead of fixing the problem or delivering a better solution for waste the Government took extraordinary measures and shut it down," said Greens Member for the South Metropolitan Region Lynn MacLaren MLC.
"The State government receives in excess of $30m a year as a result of the Waste Avoidance and Resource Recovery Amendment Bill (landfill levy). This money should be released to help fix the problems of the RRRC waste management facility.
For more information please contact: Lynn MacLaren on 0403 721 951 or 9430 7233.