Implications for farming land, like our eco certified Scenic Rim
In his words, if an energy from waste incinerator facility is sited near agricultural areas, the implications are:
- Potential contamination of soil, water, and air could affect crop yields, livestock health, and water quality
- Biosecurity risks could impact domestic and international market access
- Community reliance on clean air and water could be compromised, especially in regions with tank water capture systems
Threats to our eco-certified Scenic Rim
- Our burgeoning agritourism industry and Scenic Rim brand is at risk
- NSW Chief Scientist’s advice is to avoid placing waste incinerators in close proximity to food production areas
- French health authorities have warned against eating eggs from backyard chickens across a 75-85km radius surrounding their incinerator due to pollution from forever chemicals
- Consider Wyaralong Dam: British Olympic athletes who train at an internationally renowned UK south coast sailing academy have threatened to quit the site over plans to build a £150m waste incinerator next to their base.
Environment
- Facility requires > 500,000 litres of water per day to operate
- Energy from waste is not considered renewable energy
- No sorting means all red bin, commercial and industry waste will be burnt (inc recyclables), and it will predominantly be plastics
- Burning plastics = massive Co2 emissions
- Locks us into waste burning for 30+ years, undermining the success of recycling, reuse and composting industries
- Other regions are banning incinerators, eg ACT, Western Sydney
Traffic and local impacts
- 95m (30 storeys) twin smokestacks seen for miles
- Facility requires 760,000 tonnes of ‘waste’ every year, of which the Scenic Rim produces approx 30,000 tonnes (4%)
- Hundreds of daily heavy vehicle movements, 24/7 on our roads will deliver 730,000 tonnes along the M1, Mount Lindsay Highway, Boonah-Beaudesert Road and Boonah-Ipswich Road.
- More noise, odours, road damage, diesel fumes, and potential accidents
- Real estate values will fall
- Cleanaway does not have social license
Toxic ash and hazardous waste
- One tonne of toxic ash for every four tonnes burned
- Approx 25-30% of incinerated waste is so toxic, it needs encasing in concrete and burying in hazardous waste landfill (potentially Ipswich)
- Contains heavy metals and poisons trucked through our community
Health and air quality
- No technology exists that can capture 100% of toxins
- Releases fine particles, toxic gases, odours, dioxins which accumulate on soils, waterways and rooves
- The inversion layer across the Logan Valley, which can extend to Boonah, is a critical factor in how emissions spread, potentially concentrating toxic materials under or above the layer over a wide area.
- Linked to asthma, cancers, heart and reproductive health issues
- Harms children’s development and puts the elderly at risk
Cleanaway’s Compliance Record
- A documented history of non-compliance with repeated issues managing landfill and recycling sites, workplace bullying and deaths:
- Eight workers have died on Cleanaway’s premises since 2022
- Record held for the highest penalty ever handed down under the QLD EPA for an environmental odour nuisance offence at Ipswich
- Record held for the highest penalty ever of $1.1M imposed under federal work health and safety laws
What’s the alternative ?
- Zero waste legislation
- Mandatory extended producer responsibility scheme
- A robust circular economy embracing tip shops, community recycling spaces, repair, reuse, and composting
- Effective waste education
What can you do ?
- Talk to friends, neighbours, work colleagues and family to let them know about this concentrated toxic waste proposal
- Follow our FB page - No Incinerator for Scenic Rim!
- Email boonahboss@hotmail.com to receive campaign updates
- Sign and share the change.org petition
- Phone and write letters to Scenic Rim Regional Council councillors and the mayor, and to state MP Jon Krause and federal MP Scott Buchholz using sample letters available online
- Read our fact sheets, and other actions you can take
- Get a bumper sticker and/or a button badge
- Send a submission in to the Coordinator General during the public submission period from 1 October to 16 November. This is the legal right to put evidence on the record and must not be missed.
We have created a webtool and we're preparing sample submissions. - Join us at the rally on Saturday 10 October at Davidson Park, Beaudesert. Bring your friends and family, signs and your voice.
