One of the businesses found to be contributing to foul smells in Mandurah may be forced to comply with strict odour control measures that could result in it being temporarily shut down if a proposed $42 million expansion is approved.
The Metro Outer Development Assessment Panel will this Thursday consider recycling company C-Wise’s application to build a new organic carbon recycling plant.
The development at 320 Gull Road in Keralup is slated to take two to four years to build and once operational will enable C-Wise to process up to 200,000 tonnes of solid organic waste — up from 150,000 — and up to 60,000 tonnes of liquid organic waste into compost each year.
It will be built with $5.75m in funding from the State and Federal governments to convert food and garden waste into compost, supporting the implementation of FOGO waste collection across the Peel region.
However, concerns have remained in the community that the company’s expansion to a bigger facility able to process more waste will increase the stench.
A report to the panel by the Shire of Murray said it received 83 public submissions about the proposed development during public consultation, with all of them raising “matters of concern”.
Only two of the responses expressed a level of support for the project.
Of the submissions, 79 raised concerns about the impact of odour emissions from the facility, with 29 concerned about possible “impacts on residential enjoyment of private properties” from potential smells.
The shire’s report said many people making submissions blamed C-Wise for current odour concerns and noted it was “clear” the proposed development would cause odour emissions that would “adversely impact on surrounding lands” unless there were controls in place.
Two odour experts contributing to the report found implementing odour control measures would result in “acceptable” off-site stench impacts.
The measures would include stacks that release odours quickly and high into the air, dispersing the odours widely to dilute them, and biofilters that use tree bark to reduce smells.
The report said these measures would see the “malodours being removed and replaced by a more natural ‘bark’ type odour”.
The shire recommended the panel approve the plans for the upgraded C-Wise premises with a host of conditions, including regulations on potential odours.
Conditions include limits on the amount of odour that can be emitted and a requirement for C-Wise to submit an odour management plan to the shire, including “a clear and accessible procedure” for members of the public to report complaints directly to C-Wise.
This would involve a system for logging and tracking of complaints, a process for investigating smell complaints “promptly and effectively”, and protocols for “informing complainants about the investigation outcomes and any actions to be taken” that can be made available to the shire.
There is also a condition for C-Wise to develop an odour management contingency plan to the shire’s satisfaction, which suggests actions if complaints are received and verified, including needing more odour control equipment or technologies in place, increased maintenance work and temporary adjustments, or even shutdowns of operations.
The new facility in Keralup, north-east of Mandurah, would replace the company’s existing Nambeelup premises, which were in February formally identified by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation as a source of ongoing odours affecting residents in Mandurah’s northern and Rockingham’s southern suburbs.
C-Wise and nearby piggery CM Farms were both issued Environmental Protection Notices requiring them to investigate the stench and fix issues contributing to it, with DWER later finding “significant issues” contributing to the odours at one of the businesses, which was not named.
When the Mandurah Times first reported on the proposed expansion, C-Wise chief executive Greg Watts told the paper “one of the major goals” of the proposed facility was to “reduce odour issues in the local area” with new odour management systems