News and Updates
The e-petition closed on 9 April but RARVI will continue to lobby on behalf of the community against the possibility of a W2E incinerator being located in the Nammoona section of the RVRJP. Indeed we are opposed to the establishment of this kind of industrial project anywhere in NSW or Australia as it is completely contradictory to a circular economy which, as a country, we need to embrace to meet our legislated obligations to address climate change.
FAQs on Plastics and Chemicals
The March 2022 UNEA Plastic Treaty resolution (Resolution 5/14) mandates the negotiation of an international treaty to end plastic pollution, noting the related “risks to human health and adverse effects on human well-being and the environment.” These risks can only be addressed if controls on toxic chemicals are included in a Treaty. Plastics contain toxic chemicals that are not internationally regulated but spread internationally in plastic
materials. These toxic chemicals in plastics threaten human health and the environment.
Submission to the Casino Regional Jobs Plan
Submissions to the RJP Casino Master Plan closed on 24 March. We have identified many inconsistencies and concerns, both in the Master Plan itself, and between it and the suite of documents that accompanied it. Perhaps the most concerning for us is that the potential EfW (incinerator) is, at the request of the Richmond Valley Council, referred to as an Alternative Waste Treatment System (ATWS), Whilst an incinerator is already permissible in the Nammoona Precinct (Precinct 1) of the Regional Jobs Precinct, and references to it are scattered throughout all these documents, nowhere is a possible location in Nammoona identified in the documents. If or when a proposal for an incinerator comes forward, it will be assessed as a State Significant Development.
The Battle Against “Forever Chemicals”
In the ongoing fight against “forever chemicals,” recent revelations shed light on Australia’s concerning tap water standards, set at 140 times higher than those deemed safe by the United States. At the forefront of this battle is the poignant story of Amara Strande, a young activist who tragically lost her life to liver cancer at the age of 20.
Amara’s advocacy began in 2018 following an investigative report that uncovered alarming cancer rates among students at her high school in Oakdale, Midwest USA, attributed to the contamination of water with “forever chemicals”. The same pollutants, known as PFAS or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have spread globally, largely originating from 3M factories.
Amara’s legacy was honoured in a recent White House press conference, where officials emphasised the need to prevent similar tragedies. Despite the US EPA’s stringent new regulations limiting forever chemicals in drinking water, Australia’s standards remain significantly lax.
These chemicals, including PFOA and PFOS, have been linked to various health issues, prompting calls for stricter regulations worldwide. Amara’s family, among others, attribute her untimely death to these substances and continue to lobby for change.
Minnesota, inspired by Amara’s advocacy, passed “Amara’s Law,” banning non-essential forever chemical use. However, Australia lags behind, having banned only a fraction of these hazardous substances.
The upcoming documentary “Revealed: How to Poison a Planet” explores the alleged concealment of forever chemical dangers by manufacturers like 3M. American attorney Robert Bilott, a key figure in the documentary, highlights the long-overdue recognition of these health risks.
In response to mounting pressure, 3M announced its exit from forever chemical manufacturing by next year. While progress has been made, the battle against forever chemicals continues, fueled by the memory of Amara Strande and the countless others affected by their toxic presence.
https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2024/04/pfas-forever-chemicals-above-drinking-water-guidelines-in-global-source-water
The Fraud of plastics recycling
Through new and existing research, “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling” shows how Big Oil and the plastics industry have deceptively promoted recycling as a solution to plastic waste management for more than 50 years, despite their long-standing knowledge that plastic recycling is not technically or economically viable at scale.
Now it’s time for accountability.
Finally the Master Plan and associated documents for the Regional Jobs Precinct in Casino are now available
The incinerator is identified on the site as Alternative Waste Treatment rather than either Waste to Energy or Energy from Waste (as requested by Richmond Valley Council). We are working through the documents, which are huge, and will provide some suggestions on potential points people might like to make in their submissions. We will make these public soon.
There are 3 communication sessions, which provide an opportunity for residents to hear about the Master Plan.
Session 1
Wednesday
21 February 2024
2:00pm to 4:00pm
Casino Community Centre
35 Walker Street, Casino
Session 2
Thursday
22 February 2024
4:00pm to 6:00pm
Casino Community Centre
35 Walker Street, Casino
Session 3
Friday
23 February 2024
10:30am to 12pm
Evans Head Library
19 Woodburn Street, Evans Head
There are 1050 pages of documents to read, which is challenging given the importance of the issue. However, whilst the incinerator is described in the Master Plan as an Alternate Waste Treatment system, the Department of Regional Development, according to a document provided under a GIPA request, was concerned that Richmond Valley Council’s resolution on the subject at their meeting of 15 November 2022 said that ‘part of that process provides the opportunity for the community to express opinions on Energy from Waste facilities residual waste management challenges.’ And indeed, the Master Plan contains the following statement:
‘There are no proposals for Alternate Waste Treatment Systems (AWTS) in the Nammoona sub-precinct and Council is not currently investigating AWTS. For this reason, the Richmond Valley precinct master plan does not propose a specific site for AWTS in the Nammoona sub-precinct. AWTS remains a permitted use and may be subject to further investigations by Council in the future. Any proposal for AWTS will be subject to State Significant Development Assessment requirements, including detailed assessment and community consultation.’
Clearly the Regional Development Department doesn’t want the Master Plan criticised by those opposing an incinerator, and the only opportunity to comment on incineration will be when a Development Application is lodged in the future.
How the chemical industry is fighting back against regulation
Toxic industry fights back against proposed “Forever Chemicals” ban
Companies knew the danger of PFAS “Forever Chemicals”
Largest ever public screening finds PFAS
Assessing emissions from wate to energy report
Time to phase out PFAS
This invisible and harmful pollution will accompany humanity for centuries, even millennia.
Note the power the waste industry wields over the NSW Government
Toxic ‘forever’ chemicals found to be widespread in Tasmanian penguins
The Stinkiest, Dirtiest, Nastiest Renewable Energy You’ve Never Heard Of.
Millions of French people told they can’t eat eggs from domestic coops.
Damning new evidence of under-reported incinerator pollution in France.
A lesson for Australian environmental regulators.
Protest against Energy from Waste Conference 1 November
A collective of politicians and advocates for zero waste policy and frontline communities
threatened by incinerator projects yesterday called for an end to energy from waste incinerators
in NSW.
People gathered outside the Sydney Cricket Ground today to peacefully protest the 20
Energy from Waste Conference organised by the Waste Management and Resource Recovery
Association of Australia (WMRR).
Waste incinerators are the most expensive and polluting way to manage waste. They rely
heavily on fossil fuel based materials such as plastic. This creates deadly pollution including
dioxin, mercury, perfluorinated and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics.
Waste incinerators, a linear waste management method, are incompatible with the NSW
Government’s Circular Economy Policy.
Successful community campaigns in the Sydney CBD to reject massive incinerator projects
such as ‘The Next Generation’ incinerator by Ian Malouf, caused the NSW government to
create legislation to push incinerators into NSW’s regional precincts. This legislation change
creates a double standard for regional and rural NSW. This will jeopardise the safety and health
of food, water, cattle, dairy and tourism industries. The reality is that nowhere in NSW is safe
from the dangers of waste incinerators.
Some ‘renewable’ UK incinerators are more polluting than coal stations
As we know, the incineration industry and local governments are good at green washing, promoting the benefits of burning waste and either ignoring or downplaying its potential impacts on health and the environment. This article from Open Democracy claims that ‘Waste companies promote incinerators as generators of ‘renewable’ or ‘low-carbon’ energy but evidence from their own monitors shows that the UK’s 57 incinerators emitted more than seven million tonnes of fossil-based carbon dioxide last year, largely from burning plastic’.
Click here to read the full article
At last the truth from Richmond Valley Council
Whilst Richmond Valley Council – and Councillors – have been saying publicly for the past two years, that they had ‘paused’ the issue of Waste to Energy incineration, we know that it’s included in their Regional Jobs Precinct Master Plan. This Master Plan was discussed at Council’s meeting on Tuesday 17 October. This will be handled by the Department of Regional NSW and the Council decision is below.
‘That Council:
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- Notes the extensive work carried out by the Department of Regional NSW to develop the Richmond Valley Regional Jobs Precinct Proposal, in consultation with Council, State Agencies and key stakeholders.
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- Endorses public exhibition of the Draft Master Plan and supporting documentation by the Department of Regional NSW, to encourage community feedback on the proposals.
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- Provides a letter of support for the public exhibition process to the NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces.’
This is the first step in the introduction of an incinerator to Casino. It is significant that according to a Department of Regional NSW document provided under GIPA and dated 28 August 2023, ‘The suite of RJP documents will retain a preference for the use of the term Alternate Waste Treatment Systems (AWTS) rather than Energy from Waste (EfW) at the request of Richmond Valley Council.’ That description certainly sounds less confronting than Waste to Energy or Energy from Waste!
Media release from Alliance for a Clean Environment on the Special Rapporteur’s visit
Jane Bremmer said in her media release that ‘the Special Rapporteur’s statement following his visit to Australia, can only be regarded as a powerful vindication for Australia’s First Nations Traditional Owners and the many environmental justice communities that continue to carry the burden of toxic industrial, petrochemical, mining and AGVET pollution’.
Australia: Deep divide between Government and community narratives on toxics fuels anger and distrust, says UN expert
On 7 September some RARVI members and representatives from other areas being threatened with having a waste incinerator in their area participated in an online meeting with Dr. Marcos A. Orellana, the Special Rapporteur to the United Nations on Toxics and Human Rights. In his media release following his meetings around Australia, Dr. Orellana expressed concern about the ‘draconian restrictions against the right to peaceful protest in several States’ and, whilst acknowledging some advances, said that ‘proposed petrochemical, offshore oil and gas, hydraulic fracking, and waste incineration projects pose serious health, water, agricultural and climate concerns’.
Richmond Valley Council spilling the beans on the incinerator
For some long time Richmond Valley Council has been at the least ingenuous in our opinion about its involvement in planning for a Waste to Energy incinerator. When it placed its Draft Community Strategic Plan on public exhibition it asked the cute question – Is energy from waste part of our future? As discussed elsewhere on our site, when 60 submissions to that draft plan ( of 62 submissions) said a resounding NO, the Council, including the mayor, treated 4 RARVI members who spoke at the meeting rudely and proceeded to vote down a motion by Cr. Deegan, seconded by Cr. McGillan to remove it from the plan.
Well, recently, and as far as we know unannounced, the Council’s intentions are now quite clear in their Waste Management Strategy.
UK waste incinerators three times more likely to be in poorer areas
An investigation by Unearthed also found that ‘potential new incinerators – which have been proposed, are in planning or being built – also reflect this trend, according to mapping data. They are three times more likely to be built in the poorest areas than in the richest areas and nearly half are on track to be built in the UK’s top 25% most deprived neighbourhoods’.
This reflects what some believe is one of the criteria for locating incinerators in NSW. As the State Government departments involved in these decisions hide behind that hoary old chestnut of ‘Cabinet in Confidence’ when asked to tell residents the criteria, one can only assume that there’s truth to these beliefs.
The fumes of wrath: in a Paris suburb, the largest waste incinerator in Europe could be poisoning locals
This 2022 article should be a must read for anyone with concerns about incinerators as a means of reducing waste. As it says, ‘recent cases reveal this method might not be as safe as portrayed by waste management companies, even with the addition of special filters since the 1990s’.
What’s wrong with burning rubbish? Waste to energy incineration
This December 2019 article in the New Zealand Local Government magazine should ring a warning bell for any Councils wanting to pursue waste to energy incineration.
Click here to read the article
NSW legislation on Incinerators
We’re all aware of the ‘fact’ that, purportedly, waste incinerators can only occur in four Regions in NSW as stated in the NSW Energy from Waste Infrastructure Plan, but is that really so? A careful scrutiny into Energy from Waste in State Government policies suggests this may not be the case. Attached below are two documents, one of which outlines what was found, and the other is a map of the Greater Sydney Exclusion Area as stated in the Protection of the Environment Operations (General) Regulation 2022 – Chapter 9, Part 4. Of particular relevance is s. 144.
What was missing from the ABC report on the Rockingham waste to energy plant
As mentioned in the item on the ABC’s pro industry report below, much that investigative journalism would have discovered was missing. Jane Bremmer from Zero Waste has pointed out what could or maybe should have been included.
Click here to download Jane’s media release
Rockingham waste to energy plant soon to open
You may have already heard the news that this plant, which has been in the pipeline for years, is soon to open – well sometime next year. For those in our communities who have concerns about the health and environmental impacts of incinerators, the ABC report didn’t discuss them. It was a pro-industry report which we have come to expect.
Click here to watch the news report
Western Australia’s missed opportunity
The Alliance for a Clean Environment describes the announcement by the Western Australian Government that the Kwinana Waste to Energy plant will not be operational until 2025 as ‘an embarrassing, massive, policy failure for the WA government.’ In this media release it says that ‘industry capture in this state has held back real progress on sustainable waste management’. Check this out for how local government residents are impacted by waste burning contracts.
NSW State Government Energy from Waste Infrastructure Plan
As we know, the State Government has identified 4 Regions in NSW where these waste infrastructures – i.e. incinerators – can occur.
Good news about greenwashing
Energy from waste is being portrayed as inherent to the circular economy. Of course it’s not – that’s greenwashing. Australian Parents for Climate Action are suing Energy Australia for greenwashing, which will be interesting to watch unfold.
RARVI Newsletter August 2023
RARVI Newsletter July 2023
Richmond Valley Council Special meeting 29 June 2023
In the Council’s Draft Community Strategy the Council posed the question – Is Energy from Waste part of our future? At this meeting to consider that strategy four members of RARVI addressed the Council: Dr. Jurriaan Beek, Maree Beek, Pat Bastow and Jill Lyons. They presented excellent reasons why the answer to that question is NO, supported by the 60 submissions saying the same thing. You may have read this elsewhere, but whilst Cr. Patrick Deegan moved a motion to say that the Council didn’t support it in the Richmond Valley and particularly in Casino, predictably the mayor and a number of other Councillors spoke against the motion, and all except Crs. Deegan and McGillan voted against it.
17 May 2023 CWA calls for ban on incinerators in NSW
Legislative Assembly petition
You can download this petition, sign it and if possible get others to sign it and return it to the address on the bottom.
Click to download the file here
Submission to Richmond Valley Council Draft Community Strategic Plan by Dr. Jurriaan Beek
Click to download the file here
