IT’S been rubbished by the Department of Planning, NSW Health and the NSW EPA but the proponents of the Eastern Creek incinerator hope they might have been handed a lifeline.

Dial A Dump Industries (DADI) chief executive Ian Malouf welcomed comments from Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg, who revealed on Friday “environmentally sustainable” incineration could be key to easing Australia’s waste and energy problems.

Mr Malouf said it was time the State Government followed suit “instead of worrying about a few Nimbys ... spooked by a fear campaign filled with lies and hyperbole”.

“Mr Frydenberg has correctly pointed out there is no one solution to waste, but energy from waste is a key component in any policy to protect the environment, while also creating much needed and low-cost electricity,” he said.

Blacktown Mayor Stephen Bali accused Dial a Dump of being “delusional”. He said its three unsuccessful attempts to prove the facility’s worth showed “just how dangerous” it could be.

“Today Dial a Dump dismissed the Department of Planning and Environment, the Environment Protection Agency, the NSW Department of Health and Blacktown and Penrith councils as well as some 1000 community objectors as ‘a few Nimbys’,” Cr Bali said.

The $700 million proposal - which would burn 500,000 tonnes of waste per year and power 100,000 homes - has attracted fierce criticism.

The NSW Planning Department has ruled it should be refused on several grounds, including its “unknown” impact on air quality and human health.

The independent Planning Commission will have the final say in coming weeks.

 

Words by Heath Parkes-Hupton

Source: Daily Telegraph