State pressed to cut landfill

By Nathan Johnston
RESIDENTS Against Toxic Waste in the South East says the State Government should be doing more to find alternative sites for the toxic waste that continues to be dumped at Lyndhurst.
Vice chairwoman of the group Lotte Dawes said the Government’s plan to open a new site in the north of the state was encouraging but feared it would not result in a reduction of waste dumped at Lyndhurst.
“We welcome any move to get hazardous waste out of land fill but we want to know what the impact will be on Lyndhurst,” Ms Dawes said.
“The Nowingi site will only take 25,000 tonnes, or take six to eight trucks a day, when there are hundreds of trucks a day at Lyndhurst.
“The Government must to do everything they can to take hazardous waste away from Lyndhurst. There are human beings living within a kilometre.
“They can’t keep going at Lyndhurst. It’s too close to people and market gardens.”
Ms Dawes said the group would not support the Nowingi proposal until the relevant studies show that nearby residents would not be affected.
“We obviously support a move to open a new site but whether Nowingi is the right place for it, we’d have to wait for a environmental effects statement. I understand there’s no one living within five or 10 kilometres.
“We’re encouraged by the State Government’s decision to look at alternatives but they need to move quickly.”
Major projects minister John Lenders said the Government was committed to finding a more environmentally responsible and safe, longterm solution to managing industrial wastes.
“The government’s plan is to phase out all land fill, and Nowingi is part of that plan.”
He said it was too early to tell whether the new site would take some of the waste being dumped at Lyndhurst.
“We’re still going through the planning phase and need approval from the Federal Government but the policy is to end land fill, and that includes Lyndhurst.”