INCINERATORS AND INVESTIGATIONS: WASTE IN IPSWICH HEATS UP

This story was done as part of my work with QUT.

Your home is your castle, the Australian dream, but what if your castle smells like a rubbish dump.   

This is the reality for some Ipswich residents.

Resident Melissa Bradley is a stay-at-home mum and she said the impacts of the waste management industry are often felt in her Redbank Plains street

For the residents of Ipswich waste has been brought back into political debate, after a proposed waste-to-energy facility (WTE) received coordinated project status, highly publicised landfill fires and investigations into PFAS at Cleanaway’s New Chum facility.

“The biggest thing is obviously the smell; it really is bad,” said Mrs Bradley.

Mrs Bradley said the odour can get inside of her house and can smell like sulphur or rotten eggs, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Mrs Bradley’s husband Anthony works in Insurance, wearing a long-brimmed Texas-style cowboy hat, he said the smell forces them inside and they cannot enjoy the great outdoors their suburb has to offer.

The Bradley’s are limited in how they use their outdoor patio set, due to the smells which can waft through their street.

Redbank Plains lies close to highly concentrated waste areas Swanbank and New Chum.

Heavy trucks ferry materials through Swanbank, the two-lane stretch making up Swanbank Road features industry and former mining sites, it is where consumerism goes to die.

Complaints made to the Odour Abatement Taskforce, a taskforce made by the State Government to respond specifically to odour complaints in the Ipswich area, by community members from March 1, 2017, to February 14, 2019, obtained through Freedom of Information disclosure log, Action taken by February 2019 and overall action taken by Odour Abatement Taskforce since its inception.

The Swanbank and New Chum areas where many facilities are located lie within 10-kilometres of Ipswich’s CBD and are surrounded by multiple neighbourhoods. The red circle indicates where the proposed Remondis WTE plant would be located.

Waste Management in Ipswich has been a reason for some to contest the State Election including Independent Candidate Suzie Holmes.

As a resident of Ipswich for 25 years, Ms Holmes said the smells in the local area have become worse over the last 10-15 years.

Her tone changed when asked about her feelings on waste in Ipswich.

“It terrifies me, it’s not just me it’s my children, it’s my grandchildren, all the pollutants that are going into the air,” said Ms Holmes.

Some prominent community members have called upon the State Government to reject the coordinated project, Dr Cornelia Turni submitted a petition to Queensland Parliament which gained 1337 signatures to stop the WTE plant.

Dr Turni said the burden on Ipswich is socially unjust as the “waste capital of Australia” where environment, air and groundwater are polluted and the new WTE plant could be an inhibitor to 2050 zero-waste targets.

“We aren’t going to reduce our waste; in Europe, they have the same problem, they are actually importing waste to run the incinerators,” said Dr Turni.

Ipswich Residents Against Toxic Environments (I.R.A.T.E) also oppose the coordinated project and has campaigned for residents to preference Labor last in the State Election.

I.R.A.T.E President Jim Dodrill participated in I.R.A.T.E protests outside of Parliament House this week alongside mascot ‘Ippy Ibis’.

Ippy Ibis is a mascot which has been used in the campaign against the proposed WTE plant in Ipswich (Source: Facebook).

Mr Dodrill said the State Government should “start implementing their own policies,” such as the Waste hierarchy which prioritises waste avoidance, reduction and recycling.

The Queensland State Government’s Waste Hierarchy as stated in the Department of Environment’s Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy, the strategy does include recovery of energy from waste as part of the waste hierarchy.

Mr Dodrill also said the WTE plant could impact the recycling industry.

Although, University of Queensland Professor of Civil Engineering William Clarke said some EU studies have shown incineration does not impact recycling or get rid of landfill “but you do certainly produce a (less) volume of waste going to landfill.”

Mr Bradley said the area already smells without waste being deliberately burned and he cannot see the project bringing more people to Ipswich.

Dr Turni said nanoparticles from the burning of heavy metals along with fly ash in the environment could have health impacts on the local community.

University of Southern Queensland Senior Lecturer in Water and Environmental Engineering Dr Antoine Trzcinski said ash needed to be analysed to ensure no toxic heavy metal compounds are present before going to landfill.

German company Remondis is the company behind the coordinated project, the organisation currently operates in 30 countries and runs 10 thermal waste treatment plants.

In a statement, a Remondis Spokesperson said their modern technology will reduce impacts on air quality which could affect Ipswich residents while reducing landfill pressures and the facility would be built to the strictest environmental and health safety standards.

The coordinated project is yet to receive environmental approval or submit its Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

In a statement, a Spokesperson for the Office of the Coordinator-General said public comment on the EIS would be sought and coordinated project status does not indicate government approval, support or commitment and the project would still need approval from Ipswich City Council.

“The position is waste to energy is a good thing with the right policies in place to make sure they have the appropriate place in the waste hierarchy,” said CEO of the Waste Recycling Industry Queensland (WRIQ) Mark Smith.

Mr Smith said WRIQ will reach out to Ipswich City Council and will look to engage with the community about the Waste Management sector.

A community which is concerned for their health and in some cases causing residents to move.  

Stay-at-home-mum Jade Ham said she is angry about the situation and worried about the health of her 4-year-old daughter because of the smell.

As a renter, Ms Ham was not made aware of the odour issue on her street.

Ms Ham said the constant smell stops trips to park and impacts her ability to hang out washing.

“I’m looking at leaving the area, it’s gotten that bad I’ve got other issues to leave, but it’s a big one it does affect my life the constant smell,” said Ms Ham.