Controlled waste vital for a ‘clean, green’ Tasmania

The Category C cell proposed for the Copping landfill facility is the result of more than 20 years’ research and planning by both State and Local Governments in Tasmania and is vital to maintaining our clean, green reputation.

Southern Waste Solutions (SWS) CEO Christine Bell said the proposal was an environmentally responsible and ethical response to a long-standing waste challenge that has been through a stringent assessment process.

“Tasmania is currently the only state in Australia without such a facility and if we are serious about maintaining our environmental credentials, we all need to take responsibility for the waste we produce,” Ms Bell said.

“It is vital for all Tasmanians that we have the proper best practice infrastructure in place to protect public health and our environment as well as support our industries, businesses and jobs.

“The C cell will be engineered to world’s best practice and waste will be stored and treated in a way that ensures it cannot cause harm to the environment though emissions to air, soil or water contamination.”

Ms Bell said after gaining all statutory approvals to construct the C cell, during which process the mandatory level of public communication was exceeded, it became clear through media reports that further community engagement was needed.

“SWS responded, going to great lengths to have a two-way conversation with the community about the issues that concerned them regarding the development,” Ms Bell said.

“This included taking out a full-page advertisement in the Mercury, holding public meetings, site tours of the facility and distributing regular community updates responding to questions received.

“The Sorell Council election demonstrated that many in the community are now comfortable with the project, with mayoral candidate Kerry Vincent – a supporter of the C cell – winning in a landslide victory.”

Ms Bell said the report released today by the Southern Beaches Conservation Society (SBCS), A Better Waste Management Future for Tasmania, revealed nothing new from the group opposing the C cell proposal and lacked scientific rigour.

“For the most part, the issues raised in the report have been answered during our extended community engagement period and a more detailed response can be found on our website at: http://swstas.com.au,” she said.

Southern Waste Solutions (SWS) is a legally-incorporated joint authority owned by Clarence City, Kingborough, Sorell and Tasman Councils, which has been operating the Copping landfill site without incident for more than a decade.