❓ Mr. Masters questions the Environment Minister regarding amended license conditions for the Atlas Group's Mirrabooka landfill, specifically concerning compost quality and testing for pollutants, and the allocation of funds for compost market development. The Minister clarifies the testing requirements and assures compost quality is managed through operational conditions and quality assurance programs.
AnsweredQoN 2031Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Will the Minister confirm that the conditions attached to the license issued by the Department of Environment to the Atlas Group’s Mirrabooka landfill and recycling site have recently been amended, requiring that compost produced on the site must be analysed for possible pollutants?
(2) If yes, what are the amended conditions and what chemicals must now be analysed before the compost can be moved off site and used?
(3) Are the amended conditions a result of world-wide recognition that green waste can often contain a range of biocides and other pollutants, rendering compost produced from such green waste unacceptable?
(4) Recognising this potential to produce polluted compost, why was $800,000 allocated from the Waste Management and Recycling Fund to assist in market development of compost produced in Western Australia without first determining that acceptable quality compost was being produced in the State?
(2) If yes, what are the amended conditions and what chemicals must now be analysed before the compost can be moved off site and used?
(3) Are the amended conditions a result of world-wide recognition that green waste can often contain a range of biocides and other pollutants, rendering compost produced from such green waste unacceptable?
(4) Recognising this potential to produce polluted compost, why was $800,000 allocated from the Waste Management and Recycling Fund to assist in market development of compost produced in Western Australia without first determining that acceptable quality compost was being produced in the State?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 November 2003
Responded by
Minister for the Environment
Response time
62 days
(2) The amended conditions for the Calingiri Farm site are related to the sampling, and analysis of compost, and the licence requires the testing of the following contaminants; arsenic, cadmium, chromium (total), copper, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, zinc, DDT, DDE, DDD, aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, heptachlor, HCB, lindane, PHC and PCB,s. (3) No. The DoE has advised me that amendments were made to the licence for the Calingiri Farm site to provide the DoE with information on the potential contamination of the compost produced. (4) The quality of the compost produced is assured by conditions of operation of the process as set by the DoE, rather than the conditions of grant funding. The Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) has a comprehensive quality assurance program in place to ensure the quality of the compost produced. The DoE approval requires that compost be produced to relevant quality standards. In accordance with this requirement, and because they also recognise that the market will not accept a contaminated product, SMRC regularly tests for pollutants and herbicides.
(3) No. The DoE has advised me that amendments were made to the licence for the Calingiri Farm site to provide the DoE with information on the potential contamination of the compost produced. (4) The quality of the compost produced is assured by conditions of operation of the process as set by the DoE, rather than the conditions of grant funding. The Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) has a comprehensive quality assurance program in place to ensure the quality of the compost produced. The DoE approval requires that compost be produced to relevant quality standards. In accordance with this requirement, and because they also recognise that the market will not accept a contaminated product, SMRC regularly tests for pollutants and herbicides.
(4) The quality of the compost produced is assured by conditions of operation of the process as set by the DoE, rather than the conditions of grant funding. The Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) has a comprehensive quality assurance program in place to ensure the quality of the compost produced. The DoE approval requires that compost be produced to relevant quality standards. In accordance with this requirement, and because they also recognise that the market will not accept a contaminated product, SMRC regularly tests for pollutants and herbicides.
(3) No. The DoE has advised me that amendments were made to the licence for the Calingiri Farm site to provide the DoE with information on the potential contamination of the compost produced. (4) The quality of the compost produced is assured by conditions of operation of the process as set by the DoE, rather than the conditions of grant funding. The Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) has a comprehensive quality assurance program in place to ensure the quality of the compost produced. The DoE approval requires that compost be produced to relevant quality standards. In accordance with this requirement, and because they also recognise that the market will not accept a contaminated product, SMRC regularly tests for pollutants and herbicides.
(4) The quality of the compost produced is assured by conditions of operation of the process as set by the DoE, rather than the conditions of grant funding. The Southern Metropolitan Regional Council (SMRC) has a comprehensive quality assurance program in place to ensure the quality of the compost produced. The DoE approval requires that compost be produced to relevant quality standards. In accordance with this requirement, and because they also recognise that the market will not accept a contaminated product, SMRC regularly tests for pollutants and herbicides.
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