Regional Resource Recovery Centre - odour incidents

Submitted by Louise Sales on Tue, 27/09/2011 - 15:20

Extract from Hansard
[COUNCIL — Tuesday, 27 September 2011]
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Hon Lynn MacLaren; Hon Helen Morton

REGIONAL RESOURCE RECOVERY CENTRE — ODOUR INCIDENTS

827. Hon LYNN MacLAREN to the minister representing the Minister for Environment:

I refer to the Regional Resource Recovery Centre in Canning.

(1) How many odour incidents have been investigated by the Department of Environment and Conservation
in the past year?

(2) Has the number of odour incidents investigated by DEC decreased in recent years; and, if so, by how
much?

(3) Will the minister confirm that members of the community advisory group are independent of the
Southern Metropolitan Regional Council?

(4) Is the waste composting facility located 445.51 metres away from the nearest house and not 250 metres,
as claimed in media reports?

(5) Is the minister aware that the RRRC’s waste composting facility does not generate methane, as claimed
by the member for Riverton?

Hon HELEN MORTON replied:

I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.

(1) The Department of Environment and Conservation has conducted investigations into 32 formal odour
complaints received by it since 1 October 2010.

(2) Yes. There were 264 odour complaints investigated by DEC between 1 October 2009 and 30 September
2010, and 299 odour complaints investigated between 1 October 2008 and 30 September 2009.

(3) The community advisory group was established by the Southern Metropolitan Regional Council in 2009
and provides advice to the SMRC. DEC has advised that membership of the advisory group is voluntary
and members are not paid by the SMRC. Membership is open to local residents, with the only condition
being that they must not be a member of any regional council or are not staff of the SMRC.

(4) DEC has advised that it is approximately 450 metres from the waste composting facility itself, not the
boundary, to the nearest house.

(5) I have been advised by DEC that the member for Riverton is correct that the composting facility in
Canning Vale generates methane.