Cleanaway's Western Sydney Energy & Resource Recovery Centre

This is a health hazard. There was also no consultation as suggested by Cleanway

I am a resident of Blacktown and object to this incinerator. Following are 3 examples that will affect my health, my neighbours health, my friends and colleagues and their children health if this incinerator goes a head.

(1) Sydney will have high levels of pollution if five incinerators go ahead. A current Harvard Study proves regions with high levels of air pollution are more likely to have a higher death rate from COVID 19 than less polluted areas. This current 2020 study is the first to look at the link between long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution (which is known to be released from incinerators) (PM2.5

(2) It has recently been reported that Ultra fine Particulates, which are emitted from Incinerators in high quantities - are associated with an increase in blood pressure in schoolchildren, with the smallest particles inducing the largest effect. Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4492263/

(3) This study “Toxic ash contaminates our food supply”’ Ash and other residues from waste incineration contain dioxins, furans (PCDD/Fs) and a range of other highly toxic POPs at levels which are a threat to human health and the environment. Current management practices and regulatory threshold levels for POPs that contaminate incinerator residues are not preventing releases of POPs into agricultural settings, the food chain and the broader environment. http://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/ipen-toxic-fly-ash-in-food-v1_4a-en-web.pdf

Further the Eastern Creek incinerator site has Warragamba Pipelines running adjacent to the southern boundary of the site that supply drinking water to Prospect Reservoir only 1.7km away.
Incinerators create toxic fly ash, which contains some of the most poisonous concentrations of substances such as dioxins and heavy metals. Incinerators actually need more landfill space than regular landfill disposal. Overseas Toxic fly ash is stored in large piles, often inches from roads, communities, and waterways, blowing ash over schools, playgrounds, rivers and streams and farm land.
Incinerators release particulate matter (PM), which can be found in solids, liquids (like our water supply, and suspended within the air and Cleanaway’s own EIS shows that Dioxins will not be continuously monitored.

I can't believe that the NSW Government is still considering this project. How many times do we as a community have to say NO to this type of facility. It is so close to a number of residential suburbs, several schools, aged care facilities and hospitals. I live near Everton Park in Minchinbury and cannot comprehend how such a facility could even be considered so close by. Why can't the proponent build this in a remote location. This type of proposal would never even be considered closer to Sydney city why is it being considered in Western Sydney. We do not want to be breathing deliberately polluted air. Why is Western Sydney being treated as a dumping ground. Please consider the strong objections of the community to this land and not approve this proposal. We may not be the most wealthy or affluent part of Sydney but we surely don't deserve to have something like this forced onto our communities.
Thankyou

I object to the project

My family and future children should not have to live in an environment where there is toxic air pollution for us to breathe in and effect our health.

I am not currently a resident of an area that would be adversely affected by this proposal, but I have been involved in a previous campaign against a proposed incineration project at Eastern Creek by The Next Generation (NSW) P/l, that was rejected by the IPC and subsequently rejected in the Land and Environment Court. The reasons for the rejection of that proposal apply equally to this project. I am still strongly opposed to any similar project.
1. Both Cleanaway , when Transpacific, and Macquarie Capital have seriously compromised records of operating outside the law, both as regards environmental responsibilities and corporate regulation. Both are unfit to operate within the regulations required.
2. The unavoidable adverse impacts on the health of communities in the areas surrounding an incinerator are reason on its own to disallow the project.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4492263/
3. Burning waste is not a viable source of energy. “To make the same amount of energy as a coal power plant, Incinerators release 28 times as much dioxin than coal, 2.5 times as much carbon dioxide C02, twice as much carbon monoxide, 3 times as much nitrogen oxides (NOx), 6-14 times as much mercury, nearly 6 times as much lead and 70% more sulfur dioxides”. (EJN), http://www.energyjustice.net/incineration/worsethancoal
4. Cleanaway's EIS confirms “In this case the predominant particles being emitted by this facility are those that are less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5)" (Page 63 Human Health Report). Fifteen schools and thousands of residences are located with the affected range of pollution. Cleanaway admits that Dioxins will not be continuously monitored. Cleanaway's EIS states “For those pollutants with levels so small that they are below any possible limits of detection and/or for which online measurement is not technically possible or sufficiently accurate, a periodic sampling and testing regime will instead be created” .
5. The proposed site is too close to Prospect Reservoir which would be unavoidably polluted.
This proposal must be rejected.

I am disgusted by the State Government that they haven’t bought out a Bill yet to stop these primitive toxic monsters. As a Registered Nurse I oppose this development in Eastern Creek or anywhere else. Why would you even consider this application when we know that incinerators raise serious known health concerns? You are the ones who acknowledged this when you knocked the application by The Next Generation so why would you even consider this one. Stop these applications now.

I strongly object to the waste to energy incinerator proposal. An incinerator will be harmful to the health of all residents, especially those with poor health, and has no place in our communities.

I totally object to the proposed Cleanaway Incinerator! I live close by and do NOT want it to go ahead!
The Cleanaway incinerator will emit more C02 than coal and gas as well as dangerous emissions such as dioxins and furans that are cancer causing. This is in complete opposition to what Sydney a C40 city should be doing.
Incinerators and landfills are not the answer to waste management. New technology and innovation has provided alternative options that do not affect the public health or environment in the way incinerators and landfills do.

Below are 3 of 17 Health Effect Studies, plus some of the many Cleanaway EPA Violations:

1. Sydney will have high levels of pollution if five incinerators go ahead. This current Harvard Study proves regions with high levels of air pollution are more likely to have a higher death rate from COVID 19 than less polluted areas. This current 2020 study is the first to look at the link between long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution (which is known to be released from incinerators) (PM2.5) And COVID 19.

2. There is an increased risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) even from short-term exposure to low concentrations of fine particulate matter PM2.5, such as that produced by Incinerators. This current 2020 nationwide study in Japan, chosen for its superior monitoring, population density and relative air quality, is believed to be by far the largest of its kind. It provides comprehensive evidence of the relationship between PM2.5 and cardiac arrests, using a sample three times larger than all previous research combined and demonstrating the impacts on groups such as the elderly.

3. Two large American studies confirm that Waste to Energy Incinerators increase particulates therefore increasing the risk to health. The studies proved that fine (PM2.5) particulate air pollution causes increases in all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and mortality from lung cancer, after adjustment for other factors. A more recent, well-designed study of morbidity and mortality in postmenopausal women has confirmed this, showing a 76% increase in cardiovascular and 83% increase in cerebrovascular mortality in women exposed to higher levels of fine particulates. These fine particulates are primarily produced by combustion processes and are emitted in large quantities by incinerators.

Many studies, old and new, show that communities all around the world, living close to incinerators, even modern facilities, suffer higher rates of cancer and respiratory problems (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/y7dteo). The recently released Paris Appeal Memorandum, supported by the European Standing Committee of Doctors (representing 2 million doctors), urged a moratorium on building any new incinerators (www.artac.info/static.php?op=MemorandumParisAppeal.txt&npds=1).

Some EPA Violations

1. 16/11/2018 - Failed to comply with condition 330-155 of the environment authorisation 50320 in that you did not take all reasonable and practicable measures to prevent dust leaving the Premises. An EPA Authorised Officer recorded failure of site operatives to use the dust suppression hoses at the site whilst handling wastes with the onsite machinery. At the same time the under roof dust suppression misters were observed not to be operating. By failing to use the appropriate dust suppression controls you have caused or permitted dust to leave the Premises in contravention of condition 330-155.

2. 2008 - 2013 Transpacific (Cleanaway) are among companies in NZ which have been prosecuted for injuries including death- 2 convictions

3. 2 Dec 2012 to March 2013 (4 months) – 155 pollution reports made by residents to Kingston City Council. Two Notices of Contravention and one Penalty Infringement Notice ($6,000 penalty) were issued to Transpacific (Cleanaway) companies. Offensive odours and other licence breaches were detected either on-site or within residential areas. As a result, the sites are subject to ongoing monitoring by EPA and stakeholders including Kingston City Council to ensure day-to-day obligations of site management are met.

4. 1 April 2013 – VIC EPA Conviction of Transpacific (Cleanaway) for air pollution and licence breach

5. On 15 April 2013, Transpacific (Cleanaway) was convicted on 2 charges brought by VIC EPA for pollution of atmosphere and breach of licence.

6. Transpacific (Cleanaway) were fined $30,000 for illegally discharging Coal Seam Gas Wastewater, into the sewer system from its treatment site.

I am writing to you as a concerned and outraged member of the Minchinbury community, in regards to the abhorrent plan to place a waste incineration plant in close proximity to residential areas in Western Sydney. Western Sydney already has a waste management facility, located in Eastern Creek, which produces pungent odours into the air. This has been an issue that has only worsened over years. This issue is present WITHOUT the incineration of the toxic waste. The proposed incinerator is only 1km away from homes, schools, and sporting facilities. Western Sydney is not a dumping ground for highly toxic waste. We will not be bullied by corporate businesses wanting to make money by putting on a bandaid to fix the solution. Waste management is a known problem in Sydney. It is a state and national problem in Australia that needs to be addressed in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. The incinerator is not the solution. It is in known to be detrimental to the health and well-being of Western Sydney communities and the environment. With Western Sydney being the growth sector for Sydney, it is incredibly concerning that the government would even entertain the idea of this incinerator. This proposed project will have a catastrophic impact on the present and future generations to come.

I write to the department as a mother and a grandmother and clearly this is the wrong path for our government to go.
It has been written and said a million times to our government, turn around go back this is wrong. I object and equally oppose
all of the current Waste to Energy development applications currently in the state of NSW.
It is a lead in the wrong direction and not for the greater good for every community member.
Our expectations from our government officials, determining agencies, Premier and Ministers to push aside this quick fix
as it will have momentousness consequences that will follow on, not only our health, people will suffer the consequences
ongoing health costs to an already over burden public health system, increase emissions. It contradicts our state policies
aiming for a circular economy and the need to reduce our emissions.
The current various legislation acts will not protect our people, in fact the legislation is weak and in need of immediate review.
Our current government can lead by example by refusing this type of energy production. Lead by it polices with a circular
economy, renewable energy projects reducing emissions, continue to introduce varied funding to reduce, reuse, recycle.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a submission.
Julie Favell
1466 Castlereagh Highway
BLACKMANS FLAT NSW 2790.

Please find attached EES response

We object to these project as it’s not the appropriate location for such an operation.
Close to schools and our homes. There are many other locations that are suited for this.

This project is a regressive scheme that claims to merit a social licence under the guise of clean energy. However, plastic and most rubbish is physically inert and will sequester carbon. Any biodegradable waste can also be reclaimed as energy by cleanly burning the methane produced in situ. It is therefore deceptive to claim that burning this rubbish will reduce emissions. Simply, this is a cheap way to dispose of the rubbish, rather than to fund research and development into recycling plastic and other waste. Moreover the cost of this deception is the health of the constituents of the area. Further, the constituents of the area are predominantly of lower socio-economic means and thus are at greater risk to harmful air quality. The geography of Sydney basin is unsuited to deal with such a scheme. I propose that a compromise would be to move the site to the western side of the Great Dividing Range, where air quality issues are less of a concern. In any case, studies have demonstrated the insidious effects of incinerators: 'A study completed by George Thurston in November 2017 found that living near a waste to energy incinerator carries the same health risks as secondhand cigarette smoke. The increase in lung cancer from long-term exposure to fine particulate matter is roughly the same as the increase in lung cancer of a non-smoker who breathes passive smoke while living with a smoker, or about 20 % increase in lung cancer risk.' The public is against this project and it should be rejected on its terrible environmental, social and economic costs to the area.

A toxic waste incineration plant built among hundreds of thousands of people is not a solution to the waste problem in Australia. The bi product still needs to put into landfill, the number of jobs 'created' by the plant is a negligible particularly when compared the huge amount of people who health and lifestyle will suffer because of it. Shame on you NSW government for even considering this second proposal, it's been knocked back previously for good reason don't let greed destroy the lives of hundreds of thousands of Western Sydney Residents.

Health Concerns

The incinerator application by The Next Generation was rejected by the Nsw Department of Planning because of health and environmental concerns. In knowing this why are you as the Planning Department allowing Cleanaway or any other person or companies to be able to put in an application to build a toxic incinerator anywhere near residential areas

We are aware previous application was rejected because of health and environmental concerns by planning department what has changed now that you are going against your own eis report and concerns and allowing Cleanaway to apply to buila a toxic incinerator within arms reach of highly populated areas?. This is pure murder and genocide with incinerator . We are totally against any establishment of waste burning and will hold you responsible of any future health issues if this goes forward.

The attached submission clearly demonstrates that Cleanaway's proposal for a waste to energy incinerator should not be accepted under any circumstances given that:
1. The Sydney basin lies to the east of the Blue Mountains which traps and concentrates pollutants over the Greater Sydney area
2. An extensive range of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), heavy metals and other pollutants will be continually released into the environment
3. There is currently no technology available able to filter PM2.5 micron (nanoparticles) from stack gases and these particles will carry pollutants into the blood stream
4. The bottom and fly ash and other by-products produced by waste incineration are highly toxic, cannot be treated, immobilised or reused and must be monitored and contained permanently in a specially designed hazardous waste landfill
5. Waste incineration does NOT decrease greenhouse gas emissions and is the least efficient and most expensive way to co-generate electricity
6. Waste incineration does NOT promote a circular economy and results in the collapse of the recycling industry and an increase in the volume of waste generated
7. Viable, alternative technologies are currently being used throughout Europe to recover used materials enabling them to be re-manufactured, reused and recycled and remove the need to burn waste
8. Burning waste is "dumb engineering" that deliberately creates a large number of environmental and health hazards that require 10 to 11 times the capital value of the installed furnace to attempt to contain, remove or control them.

We live very close to the incinerator. We can smell the tips and have trouble breathing and you want to allow a toxic incinerator to burn 24/7 to poison us even further? You know every country is slowly getting rid of these things. You also know they cause health and environmental problems. We know this because you ,the Department of Planning stated you hold concerns when you knocked back the last applicant so why would you now allow this applicant?. Stop the Government subsidies, implement a Bill, stop the Political donations and corruption and then this will all stop. How many times do we have to keep fighting for our lives? We do not want an incinerator here or anywhere else. Australia is not running out of landfill either. There is so much barren land and desert land but the greedy proponents don't want to go out there and try and fool the public by using landfill shortage as an excuse