Energy-from-Waste plant – have your say

Published on 02 November 2020

Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale, OAM is calling on residents and organisations to get involved and ‘have your say’ on the latest proposal to build an energy-from-waste plant at Eastern Creek. The waste management company Cleanaway is currently proposing to construct an energy-from-waste facility on a site on Wallgrove Road at Eastern Creek. Plans for the Cleanaway Western Sydney Energy & Resource Recovery Centre, including the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), are on public exhibition on the NSW Government’s ‘planningportal’ website until 16 November.

“This project has been deemed ‘State Significant’ by the NSW Government and as such the Government, not Blacktown City Council, has the final say in the approval process,” Mayor Bleasdale said.

“Members of the public, organisations, interest groups, councils and Government and non-Government agencies are all invited to make submissions and we are urging them to do so.

“Blacktown City Council has commissioned an independent review of the EIS and we will lodge a submission on the proposal based on this review and the ‘scientific evidence’ from here and overseas surrounding energy-from-waste.

“Council will ensure that the best interests of the health and well-being of our residents will be uppermost in Council’s considerations and actions.”

“I urge people and organisations from all walks of life to make yourself aware of the project and make submissions by the closing date, not to Council, but to the NSW Government on the ‘planningportal’ website.” Mayor Bleasdale said.

The NSW Opposition, including the Member for Blacktown, Stephen Bali MP, is urging the Government to call a moratorium on all energy-from-waste proposals while a thorough scientific investigation is carried out on the waste-to-energy process under the NSW Chief Scientist.

The Opposition is also demanding that all safeguards and regulations relating to the energy-from-waste process be reviewed and updated.

The Cleanaway EFW plant’s stated aim is to generate power for more than 79,000 homes and reduce landfill by burning up to half a million tonnes of residential, commercial and industrial residual ‘red bin’ waste per year.