Kealba residents are fearful their health may be further impacted if operations recommence at a concrete and rock recycling facility at the same address where a landfill fire has been burning underground for six years.
The recycling facility and the Kealba landfill, located at 2-22 Sunshine Avenue, are both operated by Barro Group, which has previously come under scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and residents for failing to manage ongoing environmental and health risks at the site.
Neighbours of the site recently received a letter from the Barro Group in regards to recommencing operations at its concrete and rock recycling facility.
In order to recommence operations,, Barro Group must obtain EPA approval in addition to a permit previously granted in 1999.
The approval is needed as part of new legislation.
Barro applied for the approvals in 2021 but there were delays in the application process, which a Barro spokesperson attributed to “administration errors“.
Operations at the facility stopped in February this year after the EPA reviewed the business and informed Barro it needs to apply for approval.
An EPA spokesperson said an organisation can also apply for an exemption, which the Barro Group has applied for and is currently under consideration.
Under the exemption the company must still demonstrate they can operate compliantly and meet strict conditions.
As part of this exemption application process, Barro is obliged to carry out a community consultation. It has engaged the company Public Place to do so on its behalf.
Nicole Power lives 300 metres from the site and expressed concerns the recycling facility, which is separate to the landfill despite being at the same site, would create noise issues and contribute to air quality problems by stirring up dust.
“They were crushing rock at 5.45 in the morning at one point,” she said.
“This is high risk. You cannot put mechanisms in place to mitigate dust, or smoke … enough already.”
She said the impacts of the fires at the landfill are ongoing.
“The smell gets in your throat and wakes you up … it has woken me up in the middle of the night,” she said.
Ms Power, who is an asthmatic, said she doesn’t walk her dogs near the area anymore.
Another Kealba resident, Marian Pham, said she felt the community communication method excluded certain demographics.
“I don’t believe [the letters are] an effective way of doing it because they haven’t accounted for people who are illiterate and don’t speak English,” she said.
In a Facebook post, residents expressed concerns they did not receive the letters despite living near the recycling facility.
Under EPA guidelines companies are to factor in a minimum radius of 1km from the proposed activity in their community consultation.
Providing access to translations of information is not compulsory but may be appropriate depending on the community demographic.
A Barro spokesperson said, “We appreciate that people who didn’t get a letter may feel like they should have“.
“If residents have concerns about the concrete and rock recycling facility we encourage them to provide feedback in response to the consultation process.”
To provide feedback, email glenn@public-place.com.au or fill out the survey at https://tinyurl.com/28h3ve9s
