Concerns About New Waste Safeguards Now in Place for Ipswich

Waste safeguards now in place for Ipswich



The TLPI should ameliorate the issues that have been experienced by communities living with the waste industry in New Chum and Swanbank, and buy the Council time while it reviews its Town Planning Scheme. State Member for Bundamba deserves credit for her part in getting it to happen.

Among the most important changes - only filling mining voids to their top edge (ie. no mountain of waste over the hole), an increased buffer area which it is to be hoped will greatly restrict some activity or proclude it altogether, the requirement for all composting to be enclosed and not open-air, and a defined waste activity area which in New Chum recognises the very close proximity of residential development in Bundamba and Blackstone but also Collingwood Park and Riverview.
We do have some concerns.

1. The TLPI has effect for 2 years but can be repealed earlier. This could happen if there is a change of government.

2. New Chum and Swanbank are still considered areas suitable for waste activity, including voids in areas where landfilling can still occur. One such void (the void on BMI property in New Chum) is very large and connected to the water table. All the potential environmental issues with draining this lake still exist.

3. Waste Activity Uses involving "rehabilitating a mining void" can occur in the Swanbank / New Chum Buffer Area.

We note that "Rehabilitating a mining void" means filling it with only ‘clean earthen material’. This can include crushed/ground bricks, pavers, ceramics or concrete (providing it doesn't contain steel reinforcing) of 10cm or less in size; also clean earth defined as containing "trace elements and contaminant levels within the interim ecologically based investigation levels for urban land use under the document ‘Schedule B(1) – Guidelines on the Investigation of Soil and Groundwater’, forming part of the National Environment Protection (Assessment of Site Contamination) Measure 1999."

Our concern with this is that it encourages crushing and grinding operations which are noisy, dusty activities. Jackal Renewables has applied to conduct this activity in New Chum as have BMI and Cleanaway already has approval for it.

There are protections in the TLPI but as always it comes back to compliance and the ability of authorities to effectively police the conditions of environmental licences and town planning permits.

Comments

  1. IRATE member10 April 2018 at 06:45

    I believe MAMC - 4335 / 2011 B WMI Swanbank application is in the Swanbank/New Chum Buffer area on the TLPI map above in the far south-eastern corner abutting the residential estates Devine and Aria south of current housing in Redbank Plains.

    ReplyDelete

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