cleanaway's compliance record

Cleanaway's Compliance Record

One of the requirements for this proposal to be accepted is for Cleanaway to be a proper person to build and operate this incinerator. The threshold for this licence, which will lock the Scenic Rim into decades of operation, with potentially shocking outcomes from breaches of operating practice, needs to be much higher than for a general and specific waste collection and transportation.

A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF NON-COMPLIANCE WITH

REPEATED ISSUES MANAGING LANDFILL SITES,
WORKPLACE BULLYING AND DEATHS

Eight workers have died on Cleanaway’s premises since mid-2022

Significant Cleanaway fires increased from one in FY24 to three in FY25

Received the highest penalty ever handed down under the QLD EPA
for an environmental odour nuisance offence

Received the highest penalty ever of $1.1M imposed

under federal work health and safety laws

MAY 2026 The SA Supreme Court has ordered Cleanaway to pay a $1.1M fine for workplace failure that led to a double fatal crash in Adelaide in August 2014. The accident also left the driver with life-changing injuries. The penalty is the largest ever imposed under federal work health and safety laws.

MAY 2026 The Victorian Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) over a $6.9M landfill levy underpayment claim for FY18. Additional EPA audits have highlighted further alleged underpayments of $4.7M for FY19 and $7.2M for FY22. These additional years are not yet subject to court proceedings and figures exclude costs and interest.

DEC 2025 The number of fatalities, as well as increases in other serious and reportable injuries, led to a board decision to cut executive bonuses by 30% in the previous financial year. This included chief executive, Mark Schubert, who lost around $500K, however, he was still paid some $4.2 million for the year, including cash bonuses and equity rights.

NOV 2024 Cleanaway fined over $600K, the highest penalty ever handed down under the QLD EPA for an environmental odour nuisance offence. Also committed other offences at the Ipswich site, including unlawfully pumping contaminated water around its site and unlawfully using that water for dust suppression.

MAR 2026 The NSW EPA opens investigation on similar odour issues at Cleanaway’s Sydney landfill site (as seen on ACA).

FEB 2025 Convicted and fined $300K for breaching Commonwealth work health and safety laws over a Sydney fire in April 2022 that left a worker with serious injuries.

FEB 2024 The TWU awarded Cleanaway the ‘Worst Employer of 2023’ at its Delegates Conference. Not only had they made outrageous attempts to undermine the pay and conditions of workers, but their stalling of negotiations resulted in over 10 Protected Industrial Actions which occurred across NSW, as well as a significant number of safety risks and severe worker shortages.

JUNE 2023 Cleanaway charged with breaching federal work health and safety laws over an incident that injured a Canberra worker in a waste and recycling depot in Hume. (Category 2 criminal offence under the WHS Act. A worker’s hand was caught in a machine that compresses cardboard and plastics into bales while performing routine maintenance. He was treated in hospital for multiple fractures and lacerations to fingers.

FEB 2023 Workplace death at Cleanaway's Badgery Creek depot is under investigation by a NSW safety regulator after a worker was discovered ‘wedged between machinery’.

SEP 2023 EPA Victoria issue three fines to Cleanaway totalling nearly $30K for transporting waste hand sanitizer without properly logging its movement. A further $9K fine was issued to one of its transport contractors, DSS Investments (Aust) Pty Ltd, for the same offence.

APRIL 2023 'Treated horrifically', Cleanaway waste workers stage fifth protest in four months over working conditions and pay dispute. Waste workers have held their fifth protest in the space of four months as they continue their dispute against major waste management company Cleanaway over working conditions and wages.

DEC 2022 A Boxing Day fire at the Hume ACT facility, caused by thermal runaway from lithium-ion battery contamination, swept through the site, rendering the Cleanaway facility no longer suitable for processing recycled material.

APRIL 2022 NSW EPA fined Cleanaway $617K after it twice leaked kerosene solvent into the stormwater system and the Molonglo River in Queenbeyan in 2020, and failed to notify. Also ordered to pay the EPA’s investigation and legal costs of $110,778.

NOV 2020 Cleanaway subsidiary companies have previously been subject to EPA action with a $15K fine for alleged waste storage offences at Rutherford and a $1,500 fine for alleged poor record keeping at a South Windsor premises.

OCT 2020 Cleanaway safety claims blasted by NSW EPA Across an array of sites, Cleanaway was found by the EPA to be storing waste in damaged containers, incorrectly labelling waste and stacking it in precarious positions, while allowing liquid waste to form ponds and potentially pollute waters.

APR 2017 Cleanaway issued a fine of $650K for a 2013 fire at their Port Adelaide chemical waste processing facility in which a worker was seriously burned. The sentencing judge accused Cleanaway of initiating a trial process despite giving workers limited information about the trial and the new chemical involved. Largest fine ever handed out at a Comcare-initiated prosecution. Cleanaway pleaded guilty to a single charge of failing in its duty to ensure the health and safety of workers under the Commonwealth WHS Act.

MAY 2015 Cleanaway (then Transpacific) fined $363K for negligent behaviour and breaching federal WHS laws following a fatal accident in Perth where a company truck crashed into a 71-year-old driver in 2011. Comcare’s investigations revealed systematic failures in maintenance practices. 

AUG 2014 Cleanaway sewage tanker truck collided with many cars at the lower part of the South Eastern Freeway, killing two people. Following the accident the company pulled 2,800 trucks from service for inspections, disrupting waste collections for days.



Key References:

[1] Decision regarding historical MRL landfill levies

[2] Cleanaway safety record: Executive bonuses cut after multiple deaths at waste facilities

[3] Record waste odour fine sees $190k flow to Ipswich council - Inside Local Government

[4] Company fined over Sydney fire, injuries | Comcare

[5] PROFITS OVER PEOPLE: CLEANAWAY'S GAINS COME AT THE COST OF WORKERS - Transport Workers’ Union NSW

[6] Cleanaway charged over Canberra WHS incident | Comcare

[7] WASTE WORKER STRIKES LOOM ACROSS AUSTRALIA OVER CLEANAWAY’S ATTACKS TO PAY AND CONDITIONS - Transport Workers’ Union

[8] Cleanaway fined 30k over waste hand sanitizer movement - Inside Waste

[9] 'Treated horrifically': Cleanaway waste workers stage fifth protest in four months over working conditions and pay dispute | Sky News Australia

[10] Comcare investigation brings charge against Cleanaway after incident at Hume facility | Region Canberra

[11] https://citynews.com.au/2022/cleanaway-cops-fine-for-polluting-river/

Cleanaway ordered to pay $600,000 in fines | Mirage News

[12] https://www.afr.com/companies/manufacturing/cleanaway-safety-claims-blasted-by-nsw-epa-20201010-p563wy

[13] Cleanaway - Wikipedia

[14] BIG FINE FOR CLEANAWAY AFTER WORKER INJURED BECAUSE OF CHEMICAL FIRE

Cleanaway cops $650k fine over Adelaide chemical fire | Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions


[15] Waste company gets record $363,000 fine over fatal Perth truck crash - ABC News

+++MANY references FROM CLEANAWAY’S WIKIPEDIA PAGE

impacts on climate and environment

Incinerator Impacts on Climate and Environment

1. Toxins accumulate in the soil, pollute our water, and get absorbed by plants and vegetation. Animals, birds and insects absorb these toxins.

2. POPs, like the dioxins in incinerator ash, cause death, reduced reproduction, cancer, and compromised immunity in mammals, birds and fish.

3. Incineration transforms garbage into more toxic forms of waste. Landfill with methane-gas capture (currently at Bromelton) is a safer option for us and the environment.

4. Incinerators contribute to climate change. They emit more CO2 per megawatt-hour than coal-fired, natural-gas fired, or oil-fired power plants.

5. Cleanaway’s incinerator is not renewable energy. It consumes finite resources (eg plastics and diesel) as fuel, and will discourage recycling.

6. Waste incinerators consume more energy than they produce. Any object incinerated required more energy to make than the heat released when it is burned. Recycling and composting conserves 3 to 5 times more energy than incineration.

7. Waste incinerators are incompatible with a circular economy. They replace one waste stream (residual/commercial/industrial waste) with contaminated ash.

8. Cleanaway say it’s ‘safe’. Cleanaway endangers the health and safety of our environment and communities. Cleanaway breaches licence conditions. Can we trust Cleanaway?



Key References:

Hidden emissions of dioxins from waste incinerators, Arkenbout, ToxicoWatch, 2020

After Incineration: The Toxic Ash Problem, IPEN 2005

The health impacts of waste incineration: a systematic review, Tait et al. Australian & NZ Journal of Public Health, 2020.

An Overview of the Effects of Dioxins and Dioxin-like Compounds on Vertebrates, as Documented in Human and Ecological Epidemiology, White, Birnbaum, Journal of Environmental Science and Health,

Facts about “waste-to-energy” incinerators. Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, 2018.

Greenhouse Gas and Air Quality Impacts of Incineration and Landfill, Eunomia, 2022.

no social license to operate

No Social License to Operate

1. The Coordinator-General must decide whether public consultation policy is required for applications in State Development Areas.

2. There has not been open public consultation. Cleanaway have conducted targeted meetings and have selectively accepted requests to participate in their in-person and online reference group meetings.

3. Cleanaway cannot demonstrate that they have community acceptance to operate the proposed incinerator.

4. Social License is the acceptance granted to a company by the community. It’s made up of three components:

• Legitimacy - do they play by the rules?

• Credibility - do they provide honest information?

• Trust - can the community be confident they will do what they say?

5. Cleanaway does not play by the rules. It has a long record of breaching license conditions at their facilities and received a precedent-setting fine of >$600K by the QLD EPA for offences at their Ipswich landfill facility, being environmental odour nuisance offences, including unlawfully pumping contaminated water around its site and unlawfully using that water for dust suppression
The VIC Supreme Court has recently ruled in favour of the VIC EPA declaring an underpaid landfill levy for FY18 of $6.9M. Additional EPA audits have highlighted further alleged underpayments of $4.7M for FY19 and $7.2M for FY22. These additional years are not yet subject to court proceedings and figures exclude costs and interest.

Cleanaway in May 2026 has been ordered to pay a $1.1M fine for workplace failures, the largest ever imposed under federal work health and safety laws

6. Cleanaway does not provide honest information. They label their proposal as energy and resource recovery when it is overwhelmingly plastic incineration.

7. Cleanaway cannot be trusted to do what they say. They say the waste to be burnt is not recyclable, yet there are no sorting processes involved to extract recyclables, and the most desirable calorific materials are plastic and textiles.

8. Cleanaway has not disclosed information on the many toxic releases occurring overseas at modern waste incinerators, yet claims they are safe.

CLEANAWAY HAS RECEIVED

NUMEROUS FINES,

WARNINGS & CAUTIONS

FOR LICENCE INFRINGEMENTS

Key References:

1. Ethics Explainer: social license to operate, The Ethics Centre, 2022

economic impact of an incinerator

Economic Impact of an Incinerator 

1. Cleanaway’s Incinerator will provide up to 50 full-time jobs. This compares with the over 4,000 locals employed in the agriculture and tourism sectors, and the associated $400M of the region’s GRP. Agriculture, Tourism and Agri-tourism are the backbone of the eco-certified Scenic Rim. These jobs will be put in jeopardy by this incinerator and the hard won Clean and Green brand will be lost forever.

2. Incinerator contamination puts our agricultural industry at risk. From paddock to plate, contamination of local farmlands puts farm jobs, suppliers and local businesses at risk.

3. Incinerators reduce recycling rates by destroying discarded products and materials, and is incompatible with a circular waste economy.

4. The Bromelton Incinerator will heavily influence real estate values in the region, and property devaluations will inevitably devastate the finances of affected residents.

5. Incinerators burden local economies. Local governments overseas have gone bankrupt trying to fulfil waste contacts and operating needs.

6. The vision outlined in the Scenic Rim Regional Council’s own Community Plan, 2011-20263, ideals such as protecting the environment and sustaining rural industry, is at stark odds with the proposal to locate the largest waste incinerator in the Southern Hemisphere on the doorstep of Beaudesert township.

7. Cleanaway says the Incinerator will benefit our region. Scenic Rim produces less than 30,000 tonnes of waste annually and the remaining 730,000+ tonnes will be trucked in. Where these vehicles travel on local roads, the ratepayer will bear the cost of this extra road maintenance. How does this benefit the Scenic Rim?



Key References:

1. The health impacts of waste incineration; a systematic review. Tait et al. Australian & NZ Journal of Public Health, 2020

2. Facts about waste to energy incinerators, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), 2018

3. Scenic Rim Community Plan, 2011-2026

our agriculural future

An Incinerator and our Agricultural Future 

Agriculture and tourism will be the centrepiece of the economy,

enhanced by the thriving agritourism industry

 Scenic Rim Regional Council

Consider the threats to our eco certified scenic rim: eat local month, farm gate trails; our fresh produce and livestock, and growing boutique and organic product offerings.

Cleanaway’s incinerator will produce significant amounts of toxic persistent organic pollutants (dioxins, furans, PCBs, PFAS), heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, thallium), and acid gases (hydrofluoric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide).

1. Toxins blow from the incinerator stack, and can leach from the incinerator ash into soil, groundwater and waterways. They then accumulate in the soil.

2. Crops can absorb toxins from contaminated water and soil.

3. Livestock and poultry can absorb toxins from the air, water, and contaminated forage crops and pasture.

4. If contamination occurs and accumulates, crops, pastures and livestock may exceed the safety limits for human and livestock consumption. Many overseas communities can no longer safely farm their land due to incinerator contamination.

5. Acid gases such as nitrogen oxides (Nox) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) cause acid rain which damages crops, lowers crop yields, reduces soil fertility, and may kill vegetation.

6. Poultry and eggs are readily contaminated by incinerator pollution.

7. Contamination can:

REDUCE access to clean water and feed; crop yields and viability; saleable/exportable crops; farming options; biodiversity and pollinators; ability to attract farm workers; consumer demand for regional produce.

DAMAGE reputation, brand and image; farmland viability; crop and produce quality.

PREVENT control over farmland chemical inputs.

PROTECT our prime agricultural land to ensure food safety for our future generations.

Key References:

1. Facts about waste-to-energy incinerators, GAIA (Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives), 2018.

2. The health impacts of waste incineration: a systematic review. Tait et al. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2020.

3. Hidden emissions: A story from the Netherlands (Case Study), ToxicoWatch and Zero Waste Europe 2018.

4. After Incineration: The Toxic Ash Problem, IPEN 2005

5. www.epa.gov/acidrain USA Environmental Protection Authority, 2022.

6. The true toxic toll - Biomonitoring research results, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain 2021, Zero Waste Europe

7. Monitoring dioxins and PCBs in eggs as sensitive indicators for environmental pollution and global contaminated sites and recommendations for reducing and controlling releases and exposure, Petrlik et al, Emerging Contaminants, 2022

cleanaway’s incinerator proposal

Overview of the BERC Facility (Bromelton Energy and Resource Centre)

What is the BERC?

The Bromelton Energy and Resource Centre (BERC) is a proposed Energy from Waste (EfW) facility being developed by Cleanaway, Australia's largest waste management company. It is proposed for Lot 1 Beaudesert Boonah Road, Bromelton, within the Queensland Government-declared Bromelton State Development Area (SDA) in the Scenic Rim local government area - a designated Special Industry Precinct for difficult-to-locate industries.

The facility is estimated to cost approximately $700M and Cleanaway has submitted their approval application to the Office of the Coordinator General in March 2026. If approved, construction would take approximately four years.

What will it do?

The BERC is a thermal EfW (waste incineration/combustion) facility. Its key claimed outputs include:

• Processing approximately 760,000 tonnes of residual waste per year (municipal residual waste and commercial/industrial waste that would otherwise go to landfill)
• Generating up to 73 megawatts of electricity - enough to power more than 105,000 Queensland homes
• Recovering approximately 16,700 tonnes of metals and 164,000 tonnes of construction aggregate annually
• Diverting around 12% of Queensland's total landfill waste
• Operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as base-load generation

Cleanaway claims the facility will result in a net greenhouse gas reduction equivalent to removing 50,000 petrol cars from the road annually, through avoided landfill methane, fossil fuel displacement, and materials recovery.

Location and Context

The site is surrounded by other heavy industry including the established Scenic Rim Regional Council Waste and Resource Recovery Facility, quarries, animal processing facilities, and manufacturing and logistics operations. The site is 62 hectares within the SDA, which is centrally located in South East Queensland with good road and rail connectivity.

Immissions Monitoring: Not a Binding Requirement

‘Immissions’ refers to the concentration of pollutants at ground level as received by people and the environment - essentially what communities actually breathe - as distinct from emissions, which are what comes out of the stack.

A critical concern raised by community members and critics of the BERC is that Cleanaway is not legally bound to report on immissions to surrounding communities or any independent authority. Here is why:

1. The governing policy is non-statutory.

The Policy provides guidance for establishing EfW facilities in Queensland and is not a statutory document. This means the Queensland EfW Policy - the primary framework guiding the BERC - carries no binding legal force in itself. It signals preferences and intentions but does not compel specific outcomes.

2. The EU BREF framework that underpins air monitoring uses conditional, not mandatory, language.

The guideline adopts the EU's Waste Incineration Best Available Techniques Reference Document (WI BREF) as the benchmark for emissions standards. However, the WI BREF describes techniques considered to have the potential for achieving a high level of environmental protection - and critically, not all techniques outlined in the BREFs are relevant to all facilities. It is recommended that proponents conduct a BAT assessment to determine which techniques in the BAT conclusions are most appropriate to their project. The decision about which monitoring techniques apply is left largely to the proponent's own assessment.

Ambient air (immissions) monitoring - measuring what communities are actually exposed to - is not explicitly mandated under Queensland law for EfW facilities. The guideline and its referenced BREF frameworks only recommend that ambient monitoring be conducted where practicable or where significant ground-level impacts are predicted from modelling. There is no blanket obligation to monitor immissions at sensitive receptors (homes, schools, farms) and no obligation to publicly report such data.

3. There is no overarching, independent monitoring body.

Queensland has no dedicated independent body established specifically to oversee EfW facilities. Regulatory oversight falls broadly under the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI), which issues Environmental Authorities (EAs) and can investigate complaints - but does not maintain a standing monitoring program at industrial sites like the BERC. The facility, if approved, would be largely self-regulating: Cleanaway would conduct and report its own emissions data to the department, and ambient air quality monitoring in the surrounding area would depend on voluntary commitments or specific EA conditions negotiated at the time of approval.


Community Concerns and Opposition

Community groups including BOSS (Boonah Organisation for a Sustainable Shire) and Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic have organised public forums and are calling for greater scrutiny of the proposal. Concerns raised include emissions (including persistent pollutants and dioxins), ash disposal, long-term waste supply contracts that may undermine recycling, and the impact on the region's agricultural and tourism identity.


Key References

Queensland EfW Policy (released June 2020, updated December 2021): qld.gov.au/environment/waste-reduction-recycling/policy-legislation/energy-waste

Queensland EfW Guideline (ORR/2021/5875, Version 1.00, effective December 2021): PDF via Queensland Government

EU Waste Incineration BREF (WI BREF): eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference

Cleanaway BERC project page: cleanaway.com.au/location/bromelton-energy-and-resource-centre

Beaudesert Bulletin community coverage (November 2025): beaudesertbulletin.com

Environmental Protection Act 1994 (Qld): the principal statutory instrument under which any Environmental Authority would be granted.

myths Vs reality

WASTE INCINERATION: MYTHS vs REALITY

MYTH 1: Incineration is renewable energy
REALITY: Burning plastic = burning fossil fuels. Burning waste, especially plastics made from fossil fuels, is not renewable energy. It’s simply another way of burning fossil fuels, producing significant emissions. Incineration destroys materials that could be recycled or reused, undermining a genuine circular economy.

MYTH 2: Modern incinerators are safe and clean
REALITY: Incinerators create toxic pollutants - dioxins, heavy metals, and fine particles linked to health risks, cancer and birth defects.

MYTH 3: Europe shows incineration works
REALITY: Bans (including in the ACT), closures, moratoriums, paused permits, and removal of financial incentives are in place all around
the world. Some plants are now reconsidering their waste importation volumes, due to the undermining of climate goals and increased CO2 emissions.

MYTH 4: Incineration solves Australia’s waste crisis
REALITY: Waste doesn’t disappear, it becomes air pollution, and roughly one-third remains toxic and must still be dumped in landfill.

Incinerators commit communities to decades of waste production, with no efforts to change behaviours, nor move towards zero waste principles.
Recovery of metals equates to only 2% of the amount of waste incinerated.

MYTH 5: Waste operations are managed to the highest standard
REALITY: Multiple breaches have occurred all around the world.
Croydon, London incinerator exceeded air pollution limits 916 times between 2022 and 2024, with 16 breaches of its licence.

Kwinana WA plant has not yet published any monitoring data.
Rockingham WA plant is in receivership with $740M in debt.

Cleanaway has a documented history of non-compliance, including repeated issues managing landfill sites. Recently fined over $600K, the highest penalty ever handed down under the QLD EPA for an environmental odour nuisance offence, plus they also unlawfully pumped contaminated water around the site and used it for dust suppression.

The NSW EPA is actively investigating similar concerns with Cleanaway’s Sydney site, and have required them to update their infrastructure, maintenance and operations; and improve their monitoring and sampling practices.

Cleanaway in May 2026 has been ordered to pay a $1.1M fine for workplace failures that led to a double fatal crash at the base of Adelaide’s South Eastern Freeway in August 2014. The crash claimed two lives, and left one of its drivers with life-changing injuries. The penalty is the largest ever imposed under federal work health and safety laws.

MYTH 6: Residual waste is waste that cannot be avoided, reused or recycled, that would otherwise go to landfill
REALITY: There is no sorting prior to incineration. Sorting is left to consumers, and existing recycling streams are not fully utilised. Burning resources means more virgin resources are needed for manufacturing.

booonah incinerator public forum

An enormous waste to energy incinerator is currently proposed for Bromelton, where Cleanaway plan to burn 760,000 tonnes of ‘waste’ per annum. This facility will include a 30-story high smokestack right on the doorstep of Beaudesert and on the gateway to Boonah and the western Scenic Rim.The company estimates hundreds of large vehicle movements to and from the facility daily, 365 days a year, to bring waste to the incinerator from outside the Scenic Rim on our country roads and highways.

Can we afford to have one of the largest incinerators in Australia operating here?

The Scenic Rim brand is well known for its clean and healthy produce and tourism experiences, which has enabled the region to become a must-visit destination for visitors from Brisbane, the Gold Coast and in fact from all around the world.

The Lonely Planet named the Scenic Rim one of the top ten global regions to visit in 2022, and last year achieved ECO Destination Certification with Ecotourism Australia.

Community, business, and local government have worked hard together over many years to build the reputation of our thriving region to keep the Scenic Rim spectacular, but now there are growing grave concerns about protecting these values and the health and well being of our local community.

As members of community group Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic have been engaging with the community across the region about the proposed incinerator, it’s become clear that many living here are unaware of this planned development and its potential impacts, and need further information to enable them to make informed decisions on this major project when submissions are called later this year.

Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic are holding a series of public information forums and presentations across the region. Around 80 people attended the initial forum at Beaudesert late last year.

Potential damages to agriculture, human and livestock health cannot be underestimated.

The NSW Independent Planning Commission rejected a similar application for Western Sydney, citing "uncertainty in relation to the human health risks and site suitability", which resulted in the then state government passing legislation prohibiting incinerators from being built in Greater Sydney.

Communities living near these facilities in other parts of the world report impacts to health and agriculture. Should regional families, agriculture and tourism businesses bear the brunt of this toxic industry rather than our urban neighbors?

Waste incinerators release toxic air pollutants, including forever chemicals, produce toxic ash, and are the dirtiest form of energy production. Because there is no sorting prior to incineration, a high percentage of materials burnt will be plastics.

They are a polluting, expensive and unsustainable technology that undermines zero waste circular economy strategies, by competing for the same materials as recycling and composting operations and destroying valuable resources and their embedded energy.

Regional communities around Australia are being faced with the threat of incinerators and are vehemently campaigning against these facilities. Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic is linking with these communities to share their stories, and information from scientists and medical professionals.

In just a few short days, our online petition gathered over 500 signatures. Please add your name.

To find out more about the potential impacts on you, your children, your business, and your community, the next Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic public forum will be held at the Boonah State School Assembly Hall at 2pm on Sunday 22 February. All are welcome to attend and are encouraged to arrive early for tea, coffee and refreshments.

scenic rim or scenic bin ???

We all know that the Lonely Planet named the Scenic Rim one of the top ten global regions to visit in 2022, and earlier this year the region achieved ECO Destination Certification with Ecotourism Australia. This was the result of meeting global best-practice standards in ecotourism and environmental conservation, backed by a strong, well-managed commitment to sustainable practices.
The Scenic Rim has spectacular landscapes, six national parks, World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests, eco-adventures, agritourism galore with fresh local produce, craft beer, wines and beverages. The region thrives on the success of Eat Local Month and our Farm Gate Trails, thanks to our remarkable local producers.

While we’re working together to keep the Scenic Rim spectacular, do you know there’s an enormous waste to energy plant proposed for Bromelton, 6km from Beaudesert ?

Communities around Australia and in fact the world are campaigning against these facilities.

Can we afford to have one of the largest incinerators in Australia operating here ?

To find out more about the potential impacts on you, your children, your business and your community, Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic is holding a public forum at the Beaudesert Community Arts and Information Centre at 2pm on Sunday 9 November. We encourage everyone to attend. Come early for a tea or coffee.

Experts in the field of health, farming, waste and the environment will be speaking on their experiences and concerns this proposal brings.

Waste incinerators release toxic air pollutants, produce toxic ash, and are the dirtiest form of energy production.

They are a polluting, expensive and unsustainable technology that undermines zero waste circular economy strategies, such as recycling and composting; and stifles innovation in the waste management and energy sectors.

By competing for the same materials as recycling operations, incinerators undermine the recycling sector and destroy valuable resources and their embedded energy. The alternative of recycling and re-use of materials retains most of that embedded energy and reduces the inputs to the production and consumption cycle.

Much of the waste material burned in incinerators is based on petrochemicals. These include plastic bottles, bags, packaging, synthetic textiles and even electronic waste. Petrochemicals are fossil fuels and burning plastics derived from fossil fuels does not create ‘green’ energy – it is simply burning fossil fuels in another form.

By claiming to produce ‘green’ energy, incinerator operators can obtain public subsidies, credits, tax breaks and transferable benefits that should be spent on assisting real ‘green’ energy projects such as wind, wave and solar power.

Independent studies have reported that waste management systems that use recycling, re-use, composting and anaerobic digestion generate many more jobs and far outstrip the few positions required to run an incinerator.

Waste incineration entrenches a linear economy in our society that relies on the extraction of virgin materials and rewards consumptive and wasteful lifestyle choices.

Our society needs to transition as soon as possible to a circular economy where resources are not destroyed through landfills or incineration but rather are conserved through reuse, recycling and composting schemes generally known as zero waste solutions.

please sign our petition

Please sign our petition which will be presented to the Scenic Rim Regional Council.

To the Mayor and Councillors of Scenic Rim Regional Council,
We, the residents, workers, business owners, and community members of the Scenic Rim, respectfully submit this petition to formally express our opposition to the proposed waste incinerator at Bromelton.

The Scenic Rim is recognised for its unique rural character, clean air and water, productive agricultural land, natural landscapes, and strong community values. These attributes underpin our health, livelihoods, tourism economy, and quality of life.

We are deeply concerned that the proposed incinerator presents unacceptable risks and long-term consequences for our region, including but not limited to:

1. Health and Environmental Risks
Waste incinerators emit ultrafine particulate matter, heavy metals, dioxins, and PFAS-related pollutants, which can accumulate in air, soil, water, and food systems. Evidence links incinerators to increased rates of respiratory illness, asthma, cancers, and developmental impacts, particularly affecting children, the elderly, and rural communities.

2. Traffic and Infrastructure Impacts
The facility would require significant daily heavy vehicle movements on roads not designed for industrial waste transport, increasing risks to road safety, noise, air pollution, and infrastructure degradation, and negatively impacting residents and school communities.

3. Economic Harm to Agriculture and Tourism
The Scenic Rim’s economy relies on its clean and green reputation. Agriculture, agri-tourism, eco-tourism, small producers, and nature-based businesses depend on trust in environmental quality. An incinerator risks irreparable damage to existing livelihoods and long-term economic resilience.

4. Waste Does Not Disappear
Incineration does not eliminate waste. Modern facilities convert waste into approximately 25-30% toxic ash requiring specialized disposal, plus atmospheric emissions including greenhouse gases and trace pollutants that even the best filters cannot completely capture. Rather than solving our waste problem, incineration transforms it - creating concentrated toxic residues while contributing to air pollution and climate change. True sustainability requires reducing waste at the source, not finding technically sophisticated ways to dispose of it.

5. Community Consultation and Governance Concerns
Many community members remain unaware that this proposal is already progressing. We are concerned about the adequacy of consultation, transparency, long-term monitoring, and enforcement, particularly where compliance may rely on self-reporting by the operator.

Our Position
We respectfully call on Scenic Rim Regional Council to:
• Publicly oppose the proposed Bromelton waste incinerator
• Reject incineration as an appropriate waste solution for the Scenic Rim
• Prioritise community health, environmental protection, and existing livelihoods
• Advocate for genuine waste reduction, recycling, and non-toxic alternatives
• Ensure meaningful, transparent, and ongoing community engagement in all decisions affecting our region

We believe decisions made now will shape the Scenic Rim for generations. This proposal does not align with the values, character, or future our community seeks to protect.

We ask Council to stand with its community and Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic.

letter writing guidance

To support the community to write letters to all levels of government with your concerns on the incinerator, we have prepared the following letters as a guide, which you can use as is, edit as you see fit, or write your own.

These will open as google docs, which you can either download or copy and paste the content where you need it.

Council Letter - Health and Environment
Council Letter - Roads and Economy
Jon Krause State MP Letter
Scott Buchholz Federal MP Letter

Here are the contact details for the letters to be emailed:

Mayor Tom Sharp mayor@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
Div 1 Councillor Amanda Hay amanda.h@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
Div 2 Councillor Kerri Cryer kerri.c@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
Div 3 Councillor Stephen Moriarty stephen.mo@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
Div 4 Councillor Jennifer Sanders jennifer.sa@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
Div 5 Councillor Marshall Chalk marshall.c@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
Div 6 Councillor Duncan McInnes duncan.m@scenicrim.qld.gov.au
and the generic email mail@scenicrim.qld.gov.au

State MP Jon Krause scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au
Federal MP Scott Buchholz scott.buchholz.mp@aph.gov.au

Or if you would like to send a real letter, the addresses are as follows:

Scenic Rim Regional Council 82 Brisbane Street, Beaudesert, 4285

Jon Krause State MP 91 Brisbane Street / PO Box 656 Beaudesert, 4285
Scott Buchholz Federal MP 21 William Street / PO Box 628 Beaudesert 4285

no incinerator for the scenic rim

We all know that the Lonely Planet named the Scenic Rim one of the top ten global regions to visit in 2022, and in 2025 the region achieved ECO Destination Certification with Ecotourism Australia. This was the result of meeting global best-practice standards in ecotourism and environmental conservation, backed by a strong, well-managed commitment to sustainable practices.
The Scenic Rim has spectacular landscapes, six national parks, World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests, eco-adventures, agritourism galore with fresh local produce, craft beer, wines and beverages. The region thrives on the success of Eat Local Month and our Farm Gate Trails, thanks to our remarkable local producers.

While we’re working together to keep the Scenic Rim spectacular, do you know there’s an enormous waste to energy plant proposed for Bromelton, 6km from Beaudesert ? Read more here ...


PETITION
Please sign our petition which will be presented to the Scenic Rim Regional Council. Read more here ...

LETTER WRITING GUIDANCE
To support you writing letters of your concerns to all levels of government, we have prepared the following as a guide, which you can use as is, or edit as you see fit. Read more here ...

FACEBOOK PAGE
Follow our No Incinerator for Scenic Rim page here ...

LINKTREE
Our LinkTree page lists links to a growing source of online material. You can check it out here ...

may 2026 update

Welcome to the latest Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic update about the proposed Cleanaway waste incinerator at Bromelton.

If you are new to our email list, thank you for expressing interest in our campaign to inform our local community about this proposal and keep you up to date on the assessment process.

The development application has now been lodged with the Office of the Coordinator General, who will make the decision on this proposal. Community will have the opportunity to peruse the proposal in full later in the year and to make individual submissions expressing objections and concerns during the public submission period.

We will keep you informed here by email and through the No Incinerator for the Scenic Rim Facebook page as soon as submissions open.

Presentations
Since our last email update, we have made a number of presentations to key members of our Scenic Rim leadership community.

In March we met with the Scenic Rim Regional Council Mayor, Councillors and Directors to express our concerns. We covered a variety of issues including toxic emissions, traffic issues, threats to our clean green Scenic Rim tourism and agriculture sectors, jobs, potential impacts on the establishment of Circular Economy initiatives in the region, and more.

We also covered these issues at a well attended presentation requested by the Beaudesert CWA.

This week we have met with our State Government representative John Krause MLA to discuss the major concerns involved in this proposal and carry forward community sentiment particularly since Cleanaway has begun its promotional advertising campaign in local and social media. The overwhelming reaction to this advertising has been a clear and resounding NO! to the concept of this facility being built in the Scenic Rim. We will continue to update him with feedback from the community, and he is looking into answers to questions that arose during our discussion.

We thank Jon’s office for also kindly printing a good (read generously large!) quantity of our various fact sheets, which will assist our team for distributing at future events in the region.

Media
We were approached by ABC journalist Tobi Loftus who has shown a keen interest in our rejection of this toxic Cleanaway proposal for our region, and Tobi has now covered the first part of our story on both ABC news and radio. 

Online Article 
Radio Link 
the ABC News Iview link has expired, but we will endeavour to upload a recording online

We have also had articles published in our local newspapers, Beaudesert Times, Beaudesert Bulletin and the Fassifern Guardian.
We will continue to engage with media on a regular basis on behalf of the community.

We have also learned with concern that the Qld State Government has recently provided $1.49M of funding to the South East Qld Council of Mayors to continue their investigations into Waste to Energy incinerators.
Crisafulli Government to deliver Statewide Waste Infrastructure Roadmap to unlock investment and boost recycling - Ministerial Media Statements

We have written to these mayors outlining our concerns and asking them to consider with equal care what independent scientific research says about modern regulated waste incinerators in a comparable western context.

Cleanaway in the media
Cleanaway has found themselves back in the news again recently, and these articles demonstrate our reasons for concern about their record on compliance and management.

The Victoria Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Victorian EPA relating to Cleanaway underpaying their 2018 FY landfill levy by $6.9M. Further audits have highlighted additional alleged underpayments of $4.7M for FY19FY and $7.2M for FY 22. These amounts do not include costs and interest.
Decision regarding historical MRL landfill levies
https://www.fool.com.au/2026/05/07/cleanaway-waste-management-hit-with-landfill-levy-ruling/

Last month at Cleanaway sites around the country, the Transport Workers Union conducted vigils to remember workers killed at the company, with a staggering five deaths in the last two years, and eight since mid-2022, as unions mark Workers’ Memorial Day.
NATIONAL VIGILS FOR FIVE WORKERS KILLED IN TWO YEARS AT WASTE COMPANY CLEANAWAY - Transport Workers’ Union

Community Engagement
Cleanaway is ramping up their community engagement, which means it's time to show them what the community thinks. We want to make sure every single person in this community has the chance to hear what's being proposed, ask the hard questions, and decide for themselves what kind of future they want for the Scenic Rim.

They have announced some upcoming information events, and we would love to see some familiar (and some brand new) faces alongside us. If you've been sitting on the fence or just haven't had a chance to get along yet, now is the perfect time. Come have a chat, grab some information, and ask the questions that matter to you. If you stop by our stall at the Boonah Show first, we can share some of the questions that Cleanaway still has not given us straight answers on, and trust us, there are a few good ones.

Some Cleanaway info dates to put in your calendar:
Friday and Saturday 29, 30 May - Boonah Show, Boonah Showgrounds
Find us at our stall first and we will set you up with everything you need before you head over to Cleanaway's.
Saturday 13 June - drop in community info session 10am - 12 noon at The Centre, Beaudesert

Our campaign is based on mindful respect and care for our community. We may feel passionate about stopping this proposal, but we encourage healthy conversation and respectful discussion at all times.

Letters and Factsheets
We have prepared a number of template letters for community members to send to council, state, and federal reps. If you are concerned about the incinerator, we encourage you to write to your representatives to let them know your concerns.
You can use as is, edit as you see fit, or write your own.

They are in their jobs to serve us after all and if they know how we feel about this toxic industry coming into our Scenic Rim, and the potential ramifications, we have a much better chance of them representing and supporting us in this fight.

We have more factsheets which will be available at the Boonah Show, and they will be online very soon.

No Incinerator bumper stickers and badges
‘No Incinerator’ bumper stickers are available for a gold coin donation at Wandering Foods and Far Outdoors in Boonah and VK Everyday’s in Beaudesert.

Button badges will be available at the Boonah Show and upcoming info forums and market stalls.

NB: We are in the process of organising further information forums to be held at Kooralbyn, Tamborine Mtn and Beaudesert, and market stalls at key locations. Dates and locations TBC.

Petition breaks 2000 signatures
Yes!….. our petition is gaining ground so please keep sharing it through your networks, and talking about the proposed incinerator with neighbours, friends, family and colleagues.
Please note that change.org may ask you for a donation. This does not come directly to us, however the funds are used by them to direct interested people to our petition. If you have donated, we very much appreciate that, as we know some signatures have come via that process.

Donations
If you would like to direct any donations to our campaign to cover our printing, venue hire and miscellaneous costs, our bank account details are as follows:

Name: Boonah Organisation for a Sustainable Shire Inc.
BSB 633000
Account # 133633826
Please reference with KTSRS.

Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic
We're here for our community – keeping you informed and asking the questions that matter.

We're not here to tell you what to think, we're here to make sure you have the information you need to think clearly about what burning 760,000 tonnes of waste every year, for the next 20-30 years, right here in our backyard, will actually look like. For our roads. For our kids. For the clean food and landscapes this region is known for and built upon.

Come join us!

For further information please refer to our Linktree, or contact the Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic No Incinerator for Scenic Rim campaign by email: contact-no-incinerator-for-scenic-rim@googlegroups.com


Thank you from the Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic
No Incinerator for Scenic Rim Campaign Team

contact-keep-the-scenic-rim-scenic@googlegroups.com
No Incinerator for Scenic Rim! Facebook Group
Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic Facebook Group
No Incinerator for Scenic Rim! Linktree