WASTE FACILITY REOPENED FOLLOWING GOVERNMENT CONDITIONAL APPROVAL

Submitted by Louise Sales on Thu, 10/05/2012 - 14:06

On the heels of the announcement that the Barnett Government was going to revoke the licence for the SMRC waste composting facility in Canning Vale, Hon Lynn MacLaren presented a petition from more than 400 constituents opposed to the revocation of the licence. The petitioners argued that the Regional Resource Recovery Centre needs a reasonable time frame to implement the requested changes to the odour management system. They suggested that state of the art technology should be encouraged and promoted as a sustainable solution to the waste crisis.


The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) subsequently announced its decision to allow the Regional Resource Recovery Centre to remain in operation on condition that the equipment at the facility is upgraded to improve odour management.


Congratulations to the petitioners and to the South Metropolitan Regional Council who rallied to keep the plant open and urgently brought forward plans to upgrade its systems. This looks to be a win-win solution when odours stop annoying nearby residents. The idea of 56,700 tonnes of waste (recycled last year at the RRRC) being diverted to landfill was outrageous.