City of Melville Minutes – SMRC RRRC WCF Odour Issue – 11 October 2011
6. QUESTION TIME
6.3 Mr R Petterson, Leeming
At the Ordinary Meeting of Council held on 20 September 2011, Mr Petterson submitted questions relating to the operations of the South Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC). At that meeting these questions were taken on notice. A response
was provided in writing to Mr Petterson from Mr John Christie, Director Technical Services and the details contained in that response are recorded below.
Question 1
Is the City of Melville aware:
- That around 50% of the waste received at the SMRC Waste Composting Facility (WCF) is screened off and taken to landfill?
Response
Yes, the City of Melville is aware of the details and facts regarding the composting process and operations at the Regional Resource Recovery Centre’s (RRRC) waste composting facility (WCF).
Kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, garden prunings and other organic household waste placed in the green top bin are composted; light globes, plastic bags and inorganic material placed in the green top bin cannot be composted or recycled and must be disposed of at landfill.
In 2010/11, the WCF processed 80689.64 tonnes of the community’s waste. Of this, 54.62% was diverted from landfill, preventing the release of harmful greenhouse gases such as methane. The average landfill diversion rate for WA is 25%.
Without the waste composting facility, the only alternative for the community would be to send 100% of rubbish from green top bins to landfill, generating harmful greenhouse gases such as methane.
- That around 25% of the waste received at the SMRC Waste Composting Facility dries out before during or after the composting process?
Response
Yes, the City of Melville is well aware of the details and facts regarding the composting process and operations at the Regional Resource Recovery Centre’s (RRRC) waste composting facility (WCF).
- That after 8 years the SMRC has still not been able to develop a commercial market for the final Waste Composting Facility Compost and pays a contractor to cart it away?
Response
Yes, the City of Melville is aware of the SMRC market development program for compost from the WCF, and the efforts of other Regional Councils to develop markets for compost from alternative waste treatment facilities.
Compost from the WCF is blended with other soil conditioners and used in agriculture.
Nutrarich currently take all compost from the WCF for use in agriculture in the south west. The SMRC’s market development efforts have resulted in the compost becoming a valued resource.
The SMRC do make a contribution towards research and development (R&D) of the product and transport, due to the distance of the markets from the RRRC. Transport and R&D costs are a factor in any business.
Other products from the RRRC, such as mulch, have undergone similar market development programs.
- The City of Rockingham landfill is accredited for saving as much greenhouse gases each year than the SMRC Waste Compost Facility?
Response
Landfill is a different process to the WCF. The WCF is a more efficient greenhouse gas abatement project than landfill.
The City of Rockingham landfill requires more rubbish than the WCF to obtain a similar greenhouse gas impact.
A landfill may create greenhouse gas abatement by capturing some (it is impossible to capture all) of the methane generated by the rubbish deposited since the landfill began operations. The WCF generates greenhouse gas abatement based on the rubbish processed annually.
- That the SMRC have just signed a contract with the City of Rockingham for $8.5 million to dispose of waste the SMRC cannot compost?
Response
Yes, the City of Melville is well aware of the SMRC tendering process and operations of the RRRC.
In 2010/11 the costs for transport and disposal of inorganic, non-recyclable residual waste from the WCF was $3.6 million. The SMRC has awarded tenders for the next three years to keep costs at these levels ($11 million over three years).
One third of the disposal cost is the State government landfill levy which cannot be negotiated, and must be paid by all users of landfills in the metropolitan area. The levy is expected to cost the SMRC $1.2 million in 2011/12 (this is included in the $3.6 million costs per year referred to above).
- That the SMRC have just signed a contract for $2.5 million to remove and transport waste it receives but cannot compost?
Response
Yes, the City of Melville is well aware of the SMRC tendering process and operations of the RRRC.
- The findings of a recent DEC odour survey have been released and even after $5.5 million dollars has been spent on “odour upgrades” the same area of Leeming is affected by the SMRC odour as was affected in the 2008 DEC survey?
Response
The City of Melville is aware the DEC’s community odour monitoring project (COMP) has been completed; however the full results have not been made public at this time.
According to the DEC media statement regarding the COMP issued 8 September 2011, Director of Environmental Regulation, Alan Sands said:
“Since the end of 2009, the Regional Resource Recovery Centre has carried out significant works to reduce odour emissions.”
“DEC’s observations between June 2010 and January 2011 indicate odour emissions were significantly less than in previous years.”
The COMP involved 32 homes out of 900 households in Leeming and Willetton originally invited to take part in the program in January 2011. The survey participants were self-selected and not necessarily a representative sample of the community.
These 32 households were asked to log reports of any odours detected over the summer, regardless of the intensity, character, duration, or source. These reports were not considered as “complaints” by the DEC and their media statement released on 8 September 2011 did not refer to complaints.
In 2008, the DEC surveyed 250 residents out of a total population of 1642 living within a 1.2 km radius of the RRRC.
Question 2
Is the City of Melville aware that the SMRC Waste Composting Facility 2011/12 gate fees vary from $50 per tonne to $194 per tonne, how much is the City of Melville paying in the 2011/12 fiscal year?
- If it is $194 per tonne does the City of Melville know they are spending around $3 million dollars more this year than if they used the City of Rockingham landfill?
Response
The City of Melville is aware of the gate fee it pays the SMRC for processing the community’s rubbish. The cost range detailed in the question appears to be comparing the landfill gate fee and alternative waste treatment gate fee, two very
difference processes and ignoring the environmental benefits of the WCF when compared to landfill, namely:
- The WCF diverts rubbish from landfill at a rate twice the state average;
- The WCF prevents the release of harmful greenhouse gases such as methane; and
- Compost adds nutrients to WA¡¦s poor soils, without the WCF these nutrients would be lost in landfill.
According to the Inside Waste Industry Report, the average cost in WA for alternative waste treatment (AWT) in 2010-11 was $240.00 per tonne. In 2010-11, SMRC member councils’ contribution (gate fee plus loan repayment) for AWT was $232.84 per tonne, demonstrating the SMRC is competitive with the private sector. Allowing for C.P.I the average costs for AWT in 2011-12 would be $248.64 per tonne, while the SMRC’s costs are $244.77 per tonne, the RRRC continues to be competitive with the private sector.
Question 3
As the City of Melville is the largest stakeholder in the SMRC, will the City of Melville support the Leeming residents affected by the odour by requesting the SMRC stop operations at the Waste Composting Facility until a solution is identified to stop the odour? If not why not?
Response
The City of Melville is not aware the DEC have recommended the RRRC stop operations, or that the DEC has made any recommendations in its COMP report which could be addressed by stopping operations at the RRRC.
