Moss Vale community rallies against proposed Plasrefine recycling facility in consultation

A community is up in arms over a proposed $70 million plastics recycling facility, which would process 120,000 tonnes of material a year in the Southern Highlands.

A community consultation intended to inform local residents about a proposed $70 million plastics recycling facility in Moss Vale was punctuated with anger and accusations of lying.

The environmental and engineering consultancy responsible for the project, GHD, met with residents on Thursday evening to discuss community concerns raised about the proposed Plasrefine Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility.

As The Bowral News first reported in February, the proposed facility would process around 120,000 tonnes of mixed plastics per year to create reusable plastics that could then be sold to plastics manufacturers or exported.

GHD project director, David Gamble, said the Plasrefine Recycling Facility would help alleviate the 650,000 tonnes of plastic sent to landfill each year in NSW.

An artist’s impression of the Plasrefine Plastics Recycling Facility in Moss Vale, as seen from Beaconsfield Road looking north and west. Picture: GHD

“That’s the beauty of this type of facility, it turns (mixed plastics) into a valuable resource,” he said.

The initial report estimates the facility would cost Plasrefine between $70 million and $80 million to construct at 74-76 Beaconsfield Rd, excluding the sale of land which was settled late last year.

The scoping report notes the proposed operator of Plasrefine, Yalin Lyu, runs the largest wastewater treatment plant in Beijing.

The meeting was heated from the beginning when GHD planning director, Sofie Mason-Jones, was hounded with shouts of derision when she said Plasrefine was “committed to being a good neighbour.”

The concerns of the community were varied, but the three main areas were traffic, air quality and water quality.

The proposed Plastics Recycling Facility would rely on access via an unformed road, Braddon Rd, which Ms Mason-Jones said would take months to construct once approved by the landowner.

Plasrefine are proposing to build a new road called Braddon Road to access their proposed Plastics Recycling Facility in Moss Vale. Picture: GHD

During the process, heavy vehicles would have to use Beaconsfield Rd, which is not wide enough for two lanes and is often used as a footpath by families with prams and locals with mobility challenges.

GHD representatives told the community members the road would be widened and paved prior to the construction period at Plasrefine’s expense.

One community member calculated GHD’s figures amounted to one truck every three minutes on the newly formed road, adding to Moss Vale’s already congested traffic grid.

The local also pointed out the high level of trucks entering the facility meant the roller doors would be open quite often, which would likely reduce the efficiency of the protocols to retain airborne emissions from the recycling process.

Ms Mason-Jones told the meeting the facility would undertake all operations in fully enclosed buildings to ensure 99 per cent of the emissions are captured. She said the air quality assessments indicated nearby residents would not experience impact to the air quality.

Despite protests from residents about the “toxic” and “extremely harmful” nature of the emissions, Ms Mason-Jones said the one per cent of emissions was deemed permissible by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

A number of questions were also raised about the impact on nearby water sources, as the site covers two riparian zones and is located in the Sydney drinking water catchment.

GHD Project Director Sofie Mason-Jones said she understood there was a lot of opposition to the proposed facility. Picture: Adelaide Lang

Ms Mason-Jones asserted 80 per cent of the water used at the facility would be sourced on-site and more than 90 per cent of the water used in the recycling process would be recirculated.

However several community members accused the GHD representatives of not being forthcoming with details.

“This is becoming a marketing session,” one resident said.

Another shouted: “We live here, we sleep here, we deserve answers.”

Ms Mason-Jones told the assembled locals the purpose of the community consultation was to identify issues with the proposal.

“We are still taking feedback … seeing how we can further mitigate impacts,” she said.

“We want to develop a project that’s as sympathetic as possible while creating jobs and contributing to the economy”.

GHD has co-ordinated over a thousand engagements with the community since the project was first announced in September 2020. Despite this emphasis on community consultation, there was no Plasrefine representative at the meeting.

David Gamble, Sean Clarke, and Sofie Mason-Jones answering questions about the creation of Braddon Road, Moss Vale. Picture: Adelaide Lang

One of the issues identified in a previous session was the unsuitability of a selected road to carry the weight of the trucks. Another forum revealed the land for the proposed Braddon Rd is owned by neighbouring Australian BioResources, and negotiations are still underway to purchase the road.

It is interesting to note two previous development applications were submitted to council regarding the site in the past decade, one of which lapsed and one of which was rejected. Wingecarribee Shire Council ultimately determined the more recent DA in 2019 was “not in the public interest” and emphasised the deficiency of the roads.

Locals at Thursday’s meeting concurred that the facility is not in the public interest, with one community member succinctly stating the mentality of many: “We don’t want it here”.

“It’s the right sentiment but the wrong location,” he said.

Moss Vale resident and local teacher Sam Jones said the Recycling Facility was incompatible with the area where he was trying to raise his children.

“It’s completely and utterly inappropriate,” he said.

Resident and member of the Northwest Moss Vale Community Group rallying against the facility, Denise Gordon, rubbished the emphasis on creating up to 140 jobs in the area.

“This will lose jobs. It will kill tourism,” she said.

“Everything they say is lies.”

GHD estimated 200 residents attended the consultation in Moss Vale. Picture: Adelaide Lang

In addition to the possible impact on tourism, Ms Gordon said airborne plastics could damage the agriculture industry in the Southern Highlands.

There have also been 34 threatened species and four threatened ecological communities identified on the site, which will be addressed in detail in the Environmental Impact Statement along with all potential environmental, social and economic impacts of the project.

The Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be submitted by the end of this year and Ms Mason-Jones committed to exhibiting the document in January to allow residents a holiday reprieve. She noted the standard exhibition period is 28 days, although it may be extended.