A proposed plastic waste processing facility in Moss Vale has left residents and community groups unhappy.
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A petition with more than 1000 signatures has asked residents of Moss Vale and the Southern Highlands to say no to Plasrefine Recycling.
The proposed site for the recycling facility is 74-76 Beaconsfield Road, Moss Vale.
A planning scope was put forward by engineering firm GHD to the state government on behalf of Plasrefine Recycling in September 2020.
The residents, who wish to remain anonymous, said GHD had notified them of the proposal three days before Christmas and held several concerns over the proposed facility.
The affected residents started the petition to inform the public of the proposed recycling waste facility, as they felt Plasrefine Recycling and GHD had not communicated their plans to the community.
"The proposed plastic recycling facility has upset a lot of people," they said.
"There's a lot of anxiety in the area.
"It has really deflated us."
A letterbox drop was done in March, however, some residents didn't receive any notification.
"There has been minimal notification. The neighbour down the road didn't receive anything," the group of residents said.
"The engagement with the community has really been lacking."
However, GHD community and stakeholder engagement advisor Lauren Xuereb said Plasrefine Recycling was committed to engaging with the community and stakeholders.
Several face-to-face meetings and a webinar have been planned to address residents and their concerns.
The residents said they weren't against the idea of recycling but felt the location was not suitable.
"It's the right sentiment but the wrong location," they said.
"It's incompatible. We aren't against recycling, but the position of the facility is inappropriate.
"It's the wrong location. Any emissions will blow over Burradoo and Bowral. Schools will be impacted. Who knows what effect microplastics will have on our health."
One couple, who moved onto their property three years ago, said they were aware that the land behind them was zoned for light industrial use.
"This proposal is high impact use," they said.
"We were told it was a low impact zone, and there would be a buffer zone.
"If you go through the development control plan, that block of land was always meant to be low impact.
"It's one lot with two zones; 7.7 hectares was zoned for general industrial, and the rest of the block was zoned for environmental living.
"How can you have a waste facility abutting an environmental living zone if the land is that sensitive and needs to be labelled environmental living. It's not compatible."
According to the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor Development Control Plan, not all of the enterprise corridor is suitable for urban development, as there are environmental constraints that must be considered.
"The area has important environmental and cultural values that must be protected," the report reads.
The Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor DCP states several potential constraint areas:
- Biodiversity: Areas that have some identified conservation value and include open woodland plant communities.
- Water inundation: Areas that comprise a 50-metre buffer from the estimated 100-year flood line around major watercourses.
- Heritage protection: These are areas where predictive assessments indicate there is a likelihood of low to medium density artefact occurrence.
- Scenic Protection: Incorporates elevated and prominent parts of the site above the 690-metre contour.
The proposed site is located two kilometres south of the Wingecarribee River. A watercourse on the property was mapped as category three riparian land in Wingecarribee Shire Council's Local Environmental Plan. It is located within the Sydney drinking water catchment.
Riparian areas are unique and diverse and are often the most fertile parts of the landscape.
Convenor of Winzero, Dereck White, said that Winzero was not "opposed to the concept of processing plastic waste onshore rather than shipping it overseas."
"However, there are still too many unknowns in this particular proposal to take a supportive position," he said.
"The nearby residents have expressed significant concerns, and these need to be addressed as a matter of priority.
"This is particularly concerning given its location in proximity to the Wingecarribee River and its large riparian zone which drains into the river."
Ms Xuereb said the environmental impact statement (EIS) and the development application on behalf of Plasrefine Recycling were on track to be lodged in the second half of this year.
GHD is in the process of preparing an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Moss Vale Plastics Recycling and Reprocess Facility.
Ms Xuereb said the key purpose of an EIS was to assess the economic, environmental and social impacts of the proposal, and to help the community and government agencies make informed comments and decisions on the proposal.
"It will also assess the cumulative impacts of the proposal. The EIS and its supporting technical studies will determine the potential and likely impacts of the proposal and propose suitable measures to mitigate and minimise impacts," she said.
"It will also identify opportunities to enhance the environment, where possible."
Ms Xuereb said that Plasrefine Recycling had consulted with the community.
"GHD has been in contact with nearby residents, key stakeholder groups and the local community on an ongoing basis, and will continue to provide more information as it arises following the completion of EIS technical assessments," she said.
"A summary of our consultation activities to date includes:
- Notification letters to residents and businesses within close proximity to the proposal site
- Stakeholder meetings
- Regular communication with Wingecarribee Shire Council
- A project newsletter distributed to over 4,600 properties
- Updated project FAQs
- Door knocks to residents and businesses within close proximity to the proposal site
- Over 130 phone calls and emails with stakeholders, residents and community members
- Dedicated project web page
"Community and stakeholder feedback is an essential part of the environmental assessment process."
Ms Xuereb said GHD and Plasrefine Recycling were currently arranging in-person sessions with community members and residents within close proximity to the proposed site.
"These sessions will be held on Wednesday, July 28, and Thursday, July 29," she said.
There will be a webinar session for the wider community and stakeholders to attend on Monday, August 2.
"This session will be facilitated online via Microsoft Teams," Ms Xuereb added.
According to the Plasrefine Recycling Environment Impact Statement scoping report prepared by GHD in September 2020, the facility would extract mixed plastics from waste, sort the plastics into different types, and convert the various plastics and pellets.
"The combined outputs of stages one and two of the proposal would help fill the gap in local processing capacity for mixed plastics, which have historically been exported to China and other countries or have been landfilled with other wastes," the report read.
"The plant would be available to receive mixed plastics from various waste and recycling collection companies, material recovery facilities (MRF), and recycling plant operators. The range of plastics processed and the overall quantities of each type of plastics recovered would depend upon demand and market requirements.
"The facility would have an ultimate capacity to receive up to 150,000 tonnes per annum of waste plastics and wastes containing plastics, from which approximately 120,000 tonnes per annum of mixed plastics would be extracted and processed."
A Wingecarribee Shire spokesperson said the plastic recycling facility would be assessed by the Department of Planning Industry and Environment.
"As the project is being assessed as a State Significant Development, the council has minimal input into the process," they said.
"Our understanding is that the applicant is currently preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
"Once the EIS is completed, it will be publicly exhibited and formally referred to the council for comment."
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