"Release Odour Study & Enforce Standard on SMRC!"
Dr. Mike NahanDr. Mike Nahan
Liberal Candidate for Riverton30 July 2008
Release Odour Study & Enforce Standard on SMRC
The SMRC’s Composting facility at Canning Vale has a long track record of failing to meet acceptable standards of odour control. This must stop.
The plant has been closed twice over the past two years by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) for serious breaches of the odour standards.
After each closure the SMRC announced that the problem was fixed, and the DEC allowed the plant to restart operations.
Following the last such incident in March 2007, the DEC reportedly informed
SMRC that if failures continue, a closure order will be served which could include prosecution.The breaches of odour standards have continued, with over 500 complaints from the community since March 2007. During that time the SMRC has denied that it was in breach of odour standards.
In response to persistent complaints and evidence of excessive odour, in early May 2008 the DEC commissioned a detailed, independent assessment of the odour emission from the composting plant.
DEC has yet to release the findings of this report, despite promising to do so by early June 2008. The DEC must release the finding of the report immediately.
If this report finds that the composting plant was in breach of odour standards, the DEC should:
* close the composting plant until the odour problem is certifiably resolved,
and
* follow through with its threat to prosecute the SMRC for its on-going failure.The SMRC, its member councils and the WA Government also must begin planning for an alterative to composting plants in Canning Vale and elsewhere.
While composting was a valid experiment, the SMRC’s experience shows that it is not a sustainable solution. There are better approaches available.
Liberal Party is developing a long term strategy to address the state’s waste disposal challenges including a option to replace for the SMRC’s composting plant.