Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility

Project is inappropriate for that part of the Economic Develop Zone as it adjoins housing. The zone was originally approved in 2006. Various Past Councils planning fails the local and broader community on this use. Traffic Plan is poor and impacts community. I have significant environmental concerns for this site. I am a former Deputy Mayor of Wingecarribee Shire Council and former Chair of the Economic Development Committee. A review of the Planning Controls must take place. This application should be rejected.

I am writing to submit my opposition to the State Significant Development application by Plasrefine Recycling Pty Ltd. for the proposed plastics recycling facility.
My objections highlight important considerations that should be thoroughly addressed and evaluated during the project's planning and approval process to ensure the well-being of the community and the environment.

This is not the right location for this project. It is a large polluting industrial project that is too close to the school, town and houses. I believe a plastic recycling facility is a good idea but not this close to a large population. The current state of the roads are already in poor shapes and lots of trucks will make it worse. There are also a lack of footpaths on the roads that will be used for the construction. This will make it dangerous for pedestrians, including my children, when walking.
I am very fearful of the toxic air and water-borne forever chemicals that will be produce as a result of the process. Especially given the owner has no experience in plastics recycling.

See attachment

I am vehemently opposed to the establishment of a plastics recycling plant in Moss Vale for the following reasons:
1. Reprocessing of plastic waste is wasteful. Plastic is flammable and the toxic contamination risk to the surrounding neighbourhoods is a huge concern. Waste water that is released would be packed with billions of tiny particles contributing to the pollution of waterways and the endangerment of human health.
2. Advanced chemical processing to deal with the micro plastics can produce a toxic cocktail of chemical waste.
3. How will all the thousands of different types of plastics be sorted? They all include different chemical additives and colorants that may not be able to be recycled together.
4. This plant is located in close proximity to residential neighbourhoods. The noise, dust, smells and light-spill would all impact on residential areas nearby.
5. Our roads are already over burdened with traffic. We do not need daily intensive truck movements contributing to our existing traffic delays and clogged main roads. The wear and tear on these roads by the constant movement of heavy trucks will be a financial burden and safety issue for Wingecarribee residents.
6. Resources should be channelled into creating plastic alternatives.
7. This plastic recycling plant , if developed, should be located in an area as far away as possible from townships and villages for the above mentioned objections.
8. Once the damage has been done, it cannot be reversed. Common sense dictates that this recycling plant has been poorly planned in terms of its location and environmental consequences.

The Southern Highlands is such a beautiful, clean, historically significant area and I feel this development would adversely affect residence, business and visitors alike.... its just not the right site... the Southern Highlands is just too precious to taint or ruin with developments like this. The Proposed development is located next to residential homes, close to town, may be burning 24/7 and may be pouring dangerous toxins into the far ranging air (with noticeable odour) & water, putting excessive strain on limited water supply & impact negatively on roads, property values & quality of life for all creatures great & small. Thank you

I am writing to oppose the proposed plastic refinery in Moss Vale. Moss Vale is a residential area. The proposed refinery will greatly affect the area in a negative way. There is a lack of detail in the proposal. The prevailing winds and high winds experienced in the highlands, will ensure that any pollutants will spread throughout the whole of the district including our waterways. The propose operators of the refinery have no experience. The biggest industry in the southern highlands is tourism. The potential for pollution and long-term effects to the environment from this refinery is not acceptable.

I am making a submission in opposition to the above mentioned State Significant Development by Plasrefine Recycling Pty Ltd.

As an owner of a residential property in Moss Vale I am gravely concerned about the inappropriate proposed Plastic Waste Recycling Facility at 74-76 Beaconsfield Road Moss Vale.
I believe the chosen site is inappropriate due to its proximity to residential properties and the impact it would have on the mental and physical health of the residents due to noise pollution and pollution from the trucks and the recycling plant.
In addition to the offensive "rubbish dump" smell that will be emitted from the trucks and the stored unprocessed materials, the leakage, spillage or dripping of entrained liquids that inadvertently occurs from movement of such materials, these heavy vehicles will only add to the traffic congestion and further degradation of the roads in the Wingecarribee Shire.
Furthermore I believe such a business should be located in close proximity to highway/freeway entry and exit ramps NOT close to any residential properties and certainly not where high numbers of trucks would pass near major schools. Very little is mentioned on the amount of traffic that would be removing waste products and finished products. I believe this will significantly add to the number of trucks traveling the proposed route.
There is great risk of pollution of water courses from seepage and rubbish escaping from trucks ending up flowing into the Sydney Water Catchment and this would include heavy metals from the residual contents of the plastic receptacles.
I oppose this development as I question how the contaminants from the plastic containers will be managed without risk to public health, how and where the waste will go, what barriers would be in place to prevent any contamination to the surrounding land including roadside areas from the truck routes closest to the facility.
There are too many unknowns about the long term effects of such a recycling facility on the immediate environment and people's health .
The anxiety this is causing my family is a great additional stress and my teenagers are extremely worried about their future and living in such an area should the Plasrefine be allowed to operate so close to Moss Vale schools and township. Personally I am very sensitive to chemical smells and exposure to such causes me significant headaches and nausea. One of the reasons for moving to Moss Vale is its elevation and the lower levels of air and noise pollution associated with living in cities.

Plastic recycling facilities are a KNOWN FIRE RISK and the impact this would have on the community should a fire ever break out would be immeasurable. Even with a 24/7 onsite fire fighting unit I oppose this development as the risk to the Moss Vale community is too high.

In summary, I believe it to be ludicrous that such a development so close to an expanding town of Moss Vale could even proceed to this stage. The Southern Highlands is renowned for its parks and gardens, for its natural environment and serenity and a plastic recycling plant as proposed by Plasrefine will not benefit the community and would forever destroy the pristine image of Wingecarribee and ultimately devalue the town.
I cannot find a single soul that supports this proposal and like myself most feel unsure and concerned about what the future holds for them should Plasrefine be allowed to construct and operate a Plastics Recycling Business at 74-76 Beaconsfield Road Moss Vale.


“I have not made a political donation and I do not give permission for my private details to be published”

Yours sincerely

This proposal has been changed many times and still has not addressed the major problems.
This area is known for tourism and upmarket agriculture, both will disappear with job loses.
The size of the buildings, the smell and air pollution will be above the acceptable limits. They wish to offer counselling to those affected. Clearly the site is wrong if this is the solution.
This is a 24 hour operation on already crowded streets.
Fully enclosed factory but has 24 windows for light and ventilation and trucks going in and out for 24 hours in a normally quiet town at night.
Sydney’s drinking water will be contaminated and Moss Vale’s water will be drained and our sewerage system will not cope.
Light spill assessment was done at 10.23am. It should have been done at night.
120,000 tonnes of plastic waste will be transported by trucks from Sydney,Canberra, Wollongong and Melbourne and other areas, this will create massive road problems.
They admit that there will be micro plastics being released into the environment,which is unacceptable.
These facilities have a record of major fire risk and that could be disastrous to contain and resources would have to come from elsewhere to cope.
The EPA’s odour issues have not been addressed.
The property has already been fined in China for pollution and building code breaches and this will happen in Australia .
The submission is not complete and the sit in Moss Vale is clearly not the right site for a dirty huge industrial smelly factory.
Thank you.

Please see attached submission.

Plasrefine is not fit for purpose on this location.Their proposal will pose threats to the Safety,Health and the Environment not only for local residents, but impact Sydney drinking water.

1/Health professionals: have stated the harm this project could do to Local Residents health.
2/Fire risk: The local Brigades have been consulted & stated they are not equiped to deal with a large Chemical fire in a recycling facility.
3/Impact on The Garvan Institute of Medical Research ,established in Moss Vale 2008, is located next door.A critically important research Lab, recognised world wide for the research done.
4/Roads:We can not cope with the influx of traffic now.The damage to our roads would be monumental with the movement of trucks 24/7 on local roads.
5/The site is land locked:Relocating the rail crossing for Plasrefine to gain road access is incredibly dangerous for all other traffic(trains, buses, cars, semi trailers)
6/Business Impact:The contamination to the land & environment due to emissions.The local Businesses will be impacted due to impact on Tourism.This will also have a flow on affect to Businesses Nationally who book venues for events in this area.

The local Community do not support this project.The Government would be so short sighted if 140 jobs is the attraction of this proposal in comparison to the detrimental side affects.

Plasrefine can not guarantee there would not be uncontrolled release of emissions of Microplastics.

Please do not allow this project to be passed.The local Community fought for 10 years to stop Posco/Cockatoo Coal Mine, due to Health & Environmental impacts.

The Community will do the same to stop Plasrefine.

Thank you

I am an active member of a community environmental group and, as such, I support in principle the recycling of soft plastics unless and until their usage can be reduced to the bare minimum.

However, as a mining engineer who has been responsible for the preparation and submission of EIS's for SSD-sized project developments, I am appalled at the lack of detail in the Plasrefine proposal regarding the types of equipment, processes and pollution mitigation measures to be used. In my experience, it was always necessary to do enough detailed design so that a proper assessment of the likely impacts of the project could be adequately done by the community and the relevant authorities. It was not acceptable under the Precautionary Principle to say things like "we will assess any deleterious impacts after start up and mitigate them to the extent required at that stage". If there is a high probability of an impact, it must be dealt with in the EIS. I think this Report reflects poorly on the proponent and their consultants.

There are many other negative issues surrounding this factory development with respect to environmental, social and operational matters (particularly with respect to transport) that I know will be dealt with in more detail by other members of the Southern Highlands community. Therefore, I will not go into too much discussion about them here, other than to say that there is not one aspect of this project that gives off positive vibes other than the dubious one of "recycling" of soft plastics and possibly the local employment opportunities. Even the recycling component is questionable without any real understanding of the feed streams composition, the proposed product types and quantities, and the resultant waste quantities, characteristics and disposal methods.

In my view, the negatives far outweigh the very limited positives, and I urge the Department to refuse this application in its current form at the proposed location.

Kind regards
Derek White

I do not believe that this project should even be considered at this stage as the proposal is far too vague and with insufficient detail for it to be properly assessed.
From what we know of the proposal it would have serious health and environmental effects for the local community and this would have a high probability of producing a net negative economic impact on the region. If such a project were to be developed the appropriate steps should be:
EPA to specify maximum safe levels of emissions and also light and sound effects
Council to specify maximum water drawdown and waste disposal methods with measurable outcomes
Council and Main Roads to specify transport types and maximum number and timing of truck movements
All these limiting criteria to be incorporated into a document which any proposal would need to comply with
The criteria in the above document would need to be specified in such a way as to permit regular measuring and monitoring
Independent monitoring should be carried out by appropriate commercial specialists in the relevant areas with the experts to be appointed by Council and paid for by the proponent
Any breach of the standards to be treated as a strict liability offence
Automatic penalties include the immediate closure of the facility and the transfer of all business assets to the local community
In addition I believe that a guarantee fund contributed by the proponent be collected and held in trust by council to cover any remediation costs

Our reasons for objecting to this type of project at this location are contained in the attached letter.

I am strongly opposed to the proposed State Significant Development by Plasrefine Recycling Pty Ltd, and I want to convey the depth of my concerns and emotions regarding this matter. I am a grandchild of a Moss Vale resident, and I am deeply troubled, anxious, uncertain, and genuinely terrified about the nightmarish prospect of a Plastic Waste Facility that they intend to establish at 74-76 Beaconsfield Rd in Moss Vale.

Here are the key reasons why this development raises alarms for me:

1. Lack of Transparency: Plasrefine Recycling's vague promises of providing more details post-approval are wholly inadequate. We need comprehensive information now. The operator's lack of corporate history and the principal technical director's checkered environmental record in China are deeply troubling.
2. Proximity to Residential Areas: The facility's closeness to residences merely 200 meters away, is a severe concern. The potential for light pollution, along with dust, noise, vibration, traffic impacts, and offensive odors is alarming. This development will have a real impact on the health and well-being of my grandma who has spent decades making Moss Vale her home.
Environmental Impact: The proposed facility threatens the local ecosystem, wildlife, and water bodies, including the Sydney Water Catchment area. The potential for irreversible damage to the Sydney Drinking Water Catchment is a grave concern.
3. Wider Regional Impact: The winds could carry plastic dust, chemicals, and fumes to neighbouring towns like Bowral and Burradoo. The area is also home to three of the largest schools in the Southern Highlands, raising the potential for long-term health issues among the youth.
4. Traffic and Safety: The cumulative impact of heavy vehicles on New Berrima and the safety risks posed by multiple-level crossings demand careful consideration.
Building Scale and Design: The excessive size of the proposed buildings and their proximity to other essential facilities raise questions about the site's suitability. The unsightly 22-meter exhaust stacks are a visual blight on the landscape, not to mention Plasrefine's proposal does not align with the local Development Control Plan (DCP) and is not suitable for the designated buffer site.
5. Fire Hazards: The lack of HAZMAT resources and a permanently manned fire station in the area heightens the risk of fires and hazmat incidents.

In conclusion, as a young person, I implore you to consider the gravity of the situation. The establishment of this abominable, toxic dump, and industrial giant in the serene and picturesque environment of Moss Vale is unthinkable. None of my friends, family, or local farmers support this idea, and they too share my anxieties and concerns.

See attached

I have a number of concerns about this project:
- it is a very large polluting development project planned for within 3km of the town centre, Public School and very close to many existing and proposed homes.
- the roads proposed for its use are already congested and in poor condition. The hundreds of truck movements will not only cause vastly increased pollution to the surrounding area but also impact the road users significantly.
- there are currently no footpaths on many of the roads surrounding this development, posing a significant risk to pedestrians, including school children, the elderly and carers with prams and small children. I will no longer feel comfortable allowing my kids to ride their bikes to friends’ houses or school based on the projected truck movements.
- forever chemicals produced by the plant will have a significant impact on the surrounding area and the towns of the Southern Highlands. This area relies significantly on tourism and this may be heavily impacted by the environmental pollutants produced.
- this is a serious industrial project proposed for a residential and beautiful rural area.
It’s not the right site, something of this scale should be built far away from existing townships, schools and communities.