By Goya Dmytryshchak
A petition has been started by a Hobsons Bay resident concerned that a $120 million waste to energy plant at Laverton North could spread dangerous emissions to surrounding suburbs.
Recovered Energy Australia’s proposed plant in Alex Fraser Drive would take up to 200,000 tonnes of residual household waste annually to convert into enough electricity to power 20,000 houses a day.
Energy would be produced using a process known as gasification where waste is converted into a gas that then heats water into steam that drives a turbine to create electricity.
Wyndham council has approved the plan, which is now before the Environment Protection Authority for the final tick.
An EPA decision is imminent.
Laverton resident Carolina Aguirre has started a petition on change.org, calling for more community consultation with western suburbs’ residents, particularly in Hobsons Bay, Wyndham, Maribyrnong and Brimbank.
“Even though the company said they can control the emissions, they’re also saying that the pollution that comes from that is highly dependent on what material they’re getting,” she said.
The petition states: “Waste to energy seems a simple solution for our waste crisis but the risk with gasification is that this creates gasifier slag, ash residues and flue gas, which is technically prescribed industrial waste.”
Recovered Energy Australia director Ian Guss said the company’s own emissions study showed there were no safety concerns.
“We have done a health report, which shows that there is no potential impact,” he said.
“All emissions are well, well within the allowable limits put on us by the EPA.”
