Labor Members of Parliament* and local councillors today met with local community members at the proposed incinerator site at Eastern Creek to discuss concerns about the project and push for a parliamentary inquiry into waste disposal in NSW, particularly ‘energy from waste’ technology such as the proposed incinerator.

The current proposal in Western Sydney will potentially burn more than one million tonnes of waste a year to power electricity generators, with the technology generating power using the heat and gas from burning waste products.

A growing list of concerns have been raised by residents across Western Sydney, including that emissions potentially harmful to human health and the environment will be released from the facility 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and that the current regime of planning and environmental standards do not reflect world’s best practice.

The NSW Government’s own agencies, the Department of Health and the Environment Protection Authority do not support the current proposal.

Labor representatives from across Western Sydney are demanding a thorough examination of the evidence base and practices involved in the ‘energy from waste’ – this parliamentary inquiry will be able to carry out a rigorous investigation into this new industry.

The inquiry will focus on reviewing the current provision of waste disposal and recycling in NSW, assessing the role of ‘energy from waste’ technology in addressing waste disposal needs, evaluating regulatory standards and particularly environmental approval and monitoring of facilities, as well as looking at the risks of future monopolisation in markets for waste disposal.

The proposed facility would be the largest in Australia, so Labor is seeking a parliamentary inquiry to undertake an in-depth investigation of the potential outcomes and the very serious concerns that have been raised about something that would be a first in New South Wales.

Labor will be pushing for an inquiry when Parliament returns on 28 March 2017.

*Labor MPs in attendance:

  Penny Sharpe MLC, Shadow Minister for the Environment

  John Robertson, Member for Blacktown

  Prue Car, Member for Londonderry

  Edmond Atalla, Member for Mount Druitt

  Hugh McDermott, Member for Prospect