Bowral residents hospitalised by fumes from the Bowral Waste Centre

Two Southern Highlands residents have been hospitalised after they inhaled a “burnt rubber” stench emanating from the nearby waste centre - less than 100m from their home.

A married couple have been hospitalised by the “burnt rubber” fumes emanating from the Bowral Waste Centre, which is less than 100m from the residential neighbourhood.

Bowral residents Laurence and Stephane Bourrigaud, who live on Railway Parade just opposite the Bowral Waste Centre, claim the facility – which processes industrial waste – has been producing toxic fumes for the past two weeks.

Mr Bourrigaud said he had been vomiting constantly from the “burnt rubber” smell, which has permeated every nook of their house and his attached mechanical workshop.

On November 19, he and his wife were taken to Bowral Hospital in an ambulance after they were so overwhelmed with the stench they became dizzy and nauseous.

Hospital records show they were both treated for chemical exposure and told to find alternative accommodation by medical staff.

Laurence Bourrigaud and Stephane Bourrigaud (left centre and right centre) are supported by neighbours in their petition to shut the nearby Bowral Waste Centre. Picture: Adelaide Lang

“We were told by the Bowral Hospital that we shouldn’t be living there because of the smell, because it’s poisoning us,” Mr Bourrigaud said.

“We’ve got to the stage where it’s become unliveable.”

Mr Bourrigaud has been living in his house for more than 20 years and the problems with the tip on Kiama St have only gotten worse over time.

The Bowral Waste Centre accepts construction and demolition waste, local asbestos, and greens waste (which is exported for recycling).

The tip was recently fined $15,000 by the NSW Environmental Protection Agency after an inspection in June revealed poor landfill practices and uncovered waste. The EPA determined the breaches likely led to offensive rotten egg stench which caused community uproar throughout the Southern Highlands.

At the time, the authority pledged to take action to ensure the waste centre’s compliance with regulations.

Laurence Bourrigaud was hospitalised on November 19 after the fumes from the nearby Bowral Waste Centre made her dizzy and nauseous. Picture: Facebook

Stephane Bourrigaud in front of the Bowral Waste Centre, operating no more than 100m from his house and business.

A spokesperson for the EPA said officers attended the site on November 23 following 20 calls in three weeks from Railway Parade residents about the smell.

“The EPA has treated this issue as a high priority and has actively tried to resolve the issue,” the spokesperson said.

During the inspection on November 23, EPA officers noticed a layer of mulch had become saturated in the rain and was composting. The steaming mulch was identified as the potential source of the odour and Bowral Waste Centre staff completed its removal on November 24.

A statement from the centre said they could not detect any odour arising from the landfill after the mulch removal, although Mr Bourrigaud said the smell was still enough to make him vomit.

As well as the “burning tyre smell”, he said there was a constant layer of dust, flyaway rubbish and plastic landing in their yard, and noise from the waste centre.

Bowral Waste Centre has been the subject of several complaints from residents, who say they are unsure anyone is hearing their concerns. Picture: Adelaide Lang

The EPA’s Solid Waste Landfill Guidelines recommend a 250-metre distance between landfills and residences, which is not the case in the Bowral Waste Centre. The site was approved for landfill by Wingecarribee Shire Council in 1994 before the current guidelines were enforced, so the residences are closer than 100m to the tip.

In April this year, Bowral Waste Centre received approval from the council to increase the amount of waste being processed at the facility by 25,000 tonnes.

A spokesman for the council said the notification was on exhibition for nearly three months between November 2020 and January 2021, without any submissions from the public. However, Mr Bourrigaud said there was no consultation on the increase.

Mr Bourrigaud said the Bowral Waste Centre has depreciated the value of his land by a whopping 50 per cent, but insists the issue is a blight on the entire town.

“It’s affecting not just the street, but the whole of Bowral,” he said.

Mr Bourrigaud said the most frustrating aspect of his two-year battle with the tip has been the lack of accountability. Complaints made to the council are directed to the EPA as the overarching authority, and complaints registered with the EPA are referred to council.

Drone footage of the Bowral Waste Centre shows the extent of the operations occurring just over the road from homes and businesses. Picture: Stephane Bourrigaud

A council spokesman said complaints must be directed to the EPA as the regulatory body in charge of the facility, but reassured residents that council staff are monitoring the facility.

Mr Bourrigaud has had enough. He has started a change.org petition to shut the facility down completely, which had more than 400 signatures at the time of writing.

“Of course I want it to close,” he said.

“They’ve showed time and time again they can’t be trusted and the only way for us to get it stopped now is to shut the tip.”