The following residents of the ACT draw to the attention of the Assembly that the ACT Waste Management Strategy 2011-2025 outlines the benefits arising from co-locating waste facilities in the Hume Resource Recovery Estate, including increasing resource recovery and reducing costs and traffic movements.
We fully support this initiative; however, we note this aspiration is being threatened by proposed large scale heavy waste facilities in locations other than the Recovery Estate, and less than one kilometre from homes, childcare centres, food markets, retail shops, cafes and environmentally-sensitive wetlands in Canberra’s Inner South.
Allowing large waste facilities in Fyshwick will see various waste streams processed too close for comfort and safety to where Canberrans live, work and play. This includes more heavy vehicle traffic and heightened risks of odour, dust, noise, and fire from:
- putrescent organic waste,
- asbestos-containing material,
- shredding car bodies,
- crushing construction and demolition waste,
- grease trap, drilling mud and oily water liquid waste.
The load proposed across the two locations is 1.4 million tonnes a year (around 130,000 waste trucks) which is 40% more than the ACT’s current annual waste at Mugga Lane (around one million tonnes).
The potential impact on the comfort, well-being and safety of thousands of people who visit the precinct daily is affecting business confidence and threatening the jobs of 13,000 workers.
Your petitioners, therefore, request the Assembly to reject any current and future proposals for waste processing facilities in Fyshwick and work with the proponents to find more suitable alternate sites.