Protection agency probe into smells

A DANDENONG South insulation manufacturer is working with the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) to address excessive odour from its glass wool insulation plant.
In April this year, EPA officers responded to a report from a neighbouring industrial property in Williams Road about odour from Fletcher Insulation.
EPA south metropolitan regional manager George Tsivoulidis said Fletcher Insulation staff worked with the EPA to confirm the odour and source as coming from the Fletcher site and drifting towards the Williams Road site.
“Fletcher Insulation has made instrumental inroads into sustainable manufacturing and cleaner environmental outcomes,” he said.
“Significant investment in their manufacturing process will cut both their energy use and the greenhouse gas emissions.
“Unfortunately, that good track record is marred by the odour problem on site, which appears to be coming from the processing of the recycled glass, during the melting process.”
Under the terms of its licence the company must not allow offensive odours to go beyond the boundary of its Dandenong South premises.
The EPA fined the company $5506 for failing to follow the terms of its licence and has also been required to undertake an audit to assess the odour problems from the site and recommend solutions.
Mr Tsivoulidis said the results of the audit are expected in August this year.
“We trust the company will move quickly to respond to the solutions recommended in the audit and bring about an end to the odour issue.”
Fletcher Insulation plant manager Peter Deligiaouris said the company had spent $8 million on environmental improvements to the manufacturing process, which had greatly reduced emissions and enabled Fletcher to use more than 70 per cent recycled glass.
“Management and staff at Fletcher Insulation Dandenong are very proud of the plant’s good environmental credentials,” he said.
“We will continue to work closely with the EPA to avoid a re-occurrence.”