Matraville incinerator plans: Cricketer Mike Whitney speaks out

A former Australian Test bowler has joined the fight against a waste incinerator set for suburban Sydney as a petition against the plan reaches 10,000 signatures.

Opposition is ramping up against a proposed waste incinerator plant in Matraville which could see thousands of tonnes of rubbish being burnt each year within a short distance of residents.

According to Randwick Council, there are about 5000 residents who live within one kilometre of the proposed waste incinerator, which is planned to be built at the Opal paper mill on Botany Rd (formerly known as the Orora paper mill).

The estimated $250 million project has been progressing at a snail’s pace since it was announced in 2019 and remains in the early stages.

The plant will have a chimney stack for the burning of non-recyclable waste. Picture is of a generic chimney stack.

However, detailed plans are expected to be released for public exhibition toward the end of this year.

The project includes plans to burn up to 165,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year, roughly the same weight as the Sydney Opera House.

According to a scoping report, that waste would be made up of reject material from the paper mill as well as plastics, textiles and furniture trucked in from a Suez plant in Chullora, and the incinerator would also feature a 60m-tall vent.

The incinerator, also known as a cogeneration plant, would simultaneously produce electricity and steam to help power the paper mill.

There are plans to build an incinerator on the site of the Opal paper mill in Matraville (pictured). Picture: Monique Harmer

The project is a partnership between waste management firm Suez and the Opal paper mill.

A Suez spokesman said the project was still going ahead and they had plans to submit an Environmental Impact Statement “towards the end of the year”.

He said Suez has an information centre open at 492 Bunnerong Rd in Matraville, where people can ask questions, and they have also been running community reference group meetings roughly once a month.

“Suez has been communicating with the community that if the proposal is approved, the Botany Cogeneration Plant would reduce waste to landfill, lower net CO2 emissions, create local jobs and increase local economic development.

“The plant is designed to provide steam and electricity to the adjacent paper mill to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.”

The proposed site.

However, the proposal has received plenty of community backlash with residents concerned about pollution and corresponding negative health effects.

Randwick Council this week released a statement strongly opposing the proposal.

The council also teamed up with former Australian cricketer Mike Whitney, who grew up in the area, to recently release a video and highlight concerns about the incinerator.

“(Matraville) was just such a wonderful place to grow up. But what we didn’t know back in those days was that we were actually living in a very toxic environment,” Whitney said.

Former Australian cricketer Mike Whitney speaking out against the proposal.

He said a lot had been done to clean up the area from pollution and he claimed the incinerator would undo a lot of that good work, allowing pollutants to be released into the air from the incinerator.

“When I heard they wanted to build an incinerator in the area I couldn’t believe it.

“Isn’t it a backward step? Isn’t it going back to where we were decades ago instead of moving forward?”

Randwick Mayor Danny Said did not mince his words opposing the proposal.

Chris Hanson (left), from No More Incinerators, and Randwick Mayor Danny Said.

“This community does not deserve a 17-storey high stack – as high as the Sydney Opera House – belting out fumes 24/7.

“The community does not want it and it just does not make sense.”

Local resident Chris Hanson heads up a community group called No More Incinerators which is aimed at stopping the plans.

“The most important message I want to get out to people is that this is going to affect all of Randwick City, not just Matraville,” Mr Hanson said.

“Even though it is a modern incinerator where things are filtered out, pollutants are still present and we’re going to be exposed to them 24/7.”

An online petition to stop the plans has reached 10,000 signatures.

The Opal paper mill in Matraville, which is part of the Botany industrial area, has operated for over 110 years under various owners and names. Nippon Paper Group took over ownership of the company last year.

Meanwhile, a court battle is currently being waged for another incinerator to be built in Eastern Creek, in Sydney’s west, which has also received widespread community backlash.