Dardanup Shire council rejects Cleanaway’s request to increase waste height at local waste management facility

The ongoing saga surrounding Cleanaway’s bid to expand services at a South West-based waste management facility is set to continue, with a Dardanup Shire councillor declaring they will fight potential expansion “because we need to”. The Dardanup Shire Council on Wednesday unanimously rejected an amended local development plan from Cleanaway that requested the maximum waste cell height at the Banksia Road Waste Management Facility be increased from 114m Australian Height Datum (mean sea level) to a total of 151m AHD. It comes after Cleanaway previously proposed to expand the waste management facility by constructing three new cells for landfill, as well as increase the maximum waste cell height, which was also rejected by the Dardanup Shire Council in November last year. In April, the company’s lawyers applied to the State Administrative Tribunal for a review of the decision of the Shire not to determine the local development plan, which led to a directions hearing that determined the local government was not restricted from making a decision under section 41 of the Environmental Protection Act. Orders were subsequently made by the SAT to have the Dardanup Shire Council consider the plan. During Wednesday’s council meeting, Cr Peter Robinson put forth a motion to refuse the amended development plan, which was immediately seconded by Ellen Lilly. The motion also proposed to have the council account for potential legal fees in its 2022-23 budget if the matter turns into a legal stoush. Cr Robinson said the current operations of the waste management facility were “certainly not discreet” and driving past the facility on a day-to-day basis is “just awful”. “We’re just going to fight it because we need to,” he said, prompting rousing applause from the public gallery. Cr Lilly echoed Cr Robinson’s views, telling her fellow councillors it would be “extremely foolish” to not listen to the concerned residents. “We need to stand by what we believe is the best for our community,” she said. The decision followed questions and presentations from a number of concerned residents, who all urged the council not to allow Cleanaway to be able to increase the maximum height of waste that can be stored at the facility. Dardanup Environment Action Group member Heather Elliott advised that the council “needs to stand its ground” while fellow DEAG member Russell Sheridan recounted the stresses of living near the facility. Mr Sheridan told the council the sound of trucks moving waste into the facility in the early hours of the morning “fills me with dread”, with he and his wife looking to sell their house and move away from the area as a result. “I just can’t bring myself to have my family live in an environment that is hazardous,” he said.