Community fumes over plan to burn Sydney’s trash in Northern NSW

Northern Rivers residents are biting back at a proposed waste incinerator in the Richmond Valley. Read why they don’t want Sydney’s garbage burned in their backyard.

The Northern Rivers Waste Facility. Picture: Jacklyn Wagner / The Northern Star

Northern Rivers residents are getting fired up over a push to ship Sydney’s garbage up to Casino and burn it – after the EPA ruled it was unsafe to do this in the metropolitan suburbs.

The incinerator proposal would see it built in the Casino Job Precinct, with the steam created from the waste disposal process being used to create electricity.

It’s been touted by the industry as a project that would create up to 40 jobs in the region, but those against an incinerator say it might produce only four jobs, with most operations being open to automation.

But what’s really sticking in the craw of concerned locals is the idea that they’ll be potentially breathing in the toxic fumes of Sydney’s burning garbage – and other areas of NSW where waste incineration is prohibited.

“It’s disgusting. How dare the EPA say, ‘no you can’t have any of these (waste incinerators) in built-up areas, but oh gosh you can have them in the regions where they’ve probably got a piece of straw between their teeth and don’t really know what’s going on so we could get it through there’,” Dr Ros Irwin said.

Dr Irwin is a former Lismore councillor of 17 years, including stints as mayor and deputy mayor.

She says it’s insulting that garbage from Sydney and other parts of NSW could be shipped to the Northern Rivers, after waste incinerators were banned in suburban communities over toxicity concerns in those communities.

Richmond Valley is one of the four remaining local government areas (LGA) where waste incineration is not prohibited, along with Lithgow, Goulburn and Parkes.

Richmond Valley councillor Patrick Deegan is against the incinerator, and says many in the community would like to see the LGA removed from the list of designated waste incineration areas.

Richmond Valley councillor Patrick Deegan.

“Basically the EPA said these facilities aren’t great for highly populated areas like Sydney, but are okay for regional communities,” Mr Deegan said.

“The real sticking point for me has always been, if it’s not safe for somewhere like Sydney, then how could it be safe for us?”

Much of the concern about the proposed facility centres on the repercussions of an accident at the plant, and the cumulative effect of the potentially toxic emissions from the incinerator over time.

“Why should we be exposed to any risks from (toxic chemicals),” Mr Deegan said.

“That doesn’t make sense to me, it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people. If it’s not safe for Sydney then how can it be safe in our community?”

Richmond Valley Council has received multiple expressions of interest from companies about a potential Casino incinerator.

But after community opposition, council voted to pause investigations into the building of a waste incinerator.

However, Mr Deegan said that if a development application was submitted to build one, the determination would be made at a level above council as the project would be deemed a state significant development.

“Right now, there’s nothing stopping a company from submitting a DA which would eventually go before a NSW planning panel,” he said.