FYFFE on "environmental waste transfer "

VICHANSARD
Whole SpeechDate13 April 2010

Mrs FYFFE (Evelyn) -- 

My request for action is to the Minister for Planning and it is in reference to the siting of polluting industries such as the composting facility at Coldstream and the waste transfer station at Lilydale. Evidence presented to VCAT (the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) shows that in regard to the Coldstream composting facility, several thousand complaints have been generated over the last five years with the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the EPA (Environment Protection Authority). 

The expert evidence before, and accepted by, VCAT indicates that transfer stations handling green waste will commit the same level of nuisance as composting facilities. This is because of the significant amount of pollution arising from the initial arrival on the site of green waste and its wheelie bin juice. 

This highlights the fact that both transfer stations and compost plants should be required to meet the same standards and buffer distances in relation to residential zones. 

The action I request of the minister is that he take a full review of the utilisation of green wedge zones in Melbourne and its surrounds to ensure they are not being used as dumping grounds for locating polluting industries to the detriment of Melbourne's international image as a green city. I also request that as a part of this review the minister look at why the EPA has failed to utilise its powers of enforcement against polluters, including the compost facility at Coldstream, despite the number of years of continuous pollution to the detriment of local residents. 

Composting is sold as a green industry, yet compost starts emitting greenhouse gases and pollution back into the air from the time it starts composting. 

An ever-increasing number of building permits and works approval requests by polluting industries are hidden behind business-in-confidence and secrecy clauses that prevent legitimate objections being heard. There is an urgent need for a review of the green wedge zones to prevent any cumulative impact of polluting industries being co-located with residential zones, as is currently being proposed with the Coldstream Composting Facility and a waste transfer station at nearby Lilydale. 

The co-location of these polluting industries has resulting impacts on residents such as the following: outdoor private functions like barbecues and parties can no longer be held due to odour; washing cannot be hung out due to odour and dust contamination; in summer evaporative air conditioning cannot be used and houses must be totally shut up even on hot days to try to exclude odour. Other problems include breathing problems due to odour and dust; sore eyes; loss of property values; dry retching; exacerbation of illness in people with stress-related illnesses, and traffic problems on link roads to the supplying suburbs. The proposed waste transfer station in Lilydale is close to Mount Lilydale Mercy College, which has 1500 students, and it is in an area where there are 40-kilometre and 50-kilometre speed zones in very narrow streets that cannot handle the trucks that will be required if this goes ahead.