Moss Vale Plastics Recycling Facility

I wish to lodge a submission to reject the the proposal of the Plastic Waste Reprocessing Development being planned for Beaconsfield, Moss Vale. This proposal is not suitable to be built only 3 kms from the centre of Moss Vale. The Moss Vale township is already under so much pressure from the increasing traffic that goes through the centre of town. I don't believe that the air and water quality will benefit from having a processing development such as this so close to the residential area. Also the problems it would cause if the plant if built caught fire. The southern highlands is a pristine area that should be preserved for the locals and the tourists to enjoy peacefully not destroyed by building a toxic processing plant at our back door. Surely there is somewhere further afield it can be built.

The project is to big for the Moss Vale area and the traffic would be to much for the local roads to handle

Placing a Plastic waste facility in Moss Vale is the worst decision anyone could make. Firstly, Moss Vale and the Southern Highlands are made up of a majority of elderly population for 1 and if a fire was to break out in this facility, evacuation would be an utter nightmare plus hardardous to the health everyone near by. Secondly, traffic is already a nightmare and you want to bring more trucks in what a joke. There is also schools around this site especially little kids and having more traffic will put pressure on our roads and accidents will double. Not to mention the noise that will come out of the facility if it runs 24/7. There is so many reasons as to why Moss Vale is the wrong place to put this facility. Get with it the government you can find another vacant plot somewhere else that's not in the vicinity of a town.

I would really like the planners give serious consideration to the future and not make short sighted decisions. Yes we need to address recycling but any business that is going to affect the environment, the community and our children should be investigated thoroughly. Please think long term, is this the best location, will it be regretted down the line. Its time to put our grown up pants on and really make good plans that our grandchildren and their grandchildren will be proud of. Let’s leave a meaningful legacy.
Please.
You hold the power to make the world a better place.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sandra

While I applaud the concept of more plastic recycling, the planned location in Moss Vale is absurd for many reasons but in particular a) the traffic congestion in and around Moss Vale has become progressively worse by the day. Argyle St carries an extraordinary number of heavy vehicles at the moment and this project will make travel in the area frustratingly worse. It seems obvious that Argyle St will in fact be used by the heavy vehicles indicated. The roads , including the ones indicated to be used for this project, have deteriorated to such an extent that Council maintenance crews cannot keep pace. The roads cannot cope with current normal heavy vehicles and ruined roads will result from more B-Doubles and A- Doubles as planned . It is logical to think that road trains will follow . b) In order to process plastic, heat has to be applied . Heated plastic produces toxic, stinking gas ( developers call it odour) , no matter how hard an organisation tries to prevent it . This will blow across thousands of residents and is unacceptable. c) The usual concerns over such a project have not been addressed including safety of people, noise, quality of water and air, oversized development of buildings proposed, no Social Impact Assessment , to which country profits will be directed.

The project is in a bad location too close to major water courses that flow into Sydney’s water supply. It’s access is in the wrong place via roads that are unsuitable for truck movements. It is the wrong place for a project of this nature and will cause major damage to the environment and the Wingecarribee river

I strongly object to this project as submitted. There are significant gaps in the analysis and any benefits are far outweighed by the social and economic costs to the area.
I have submitted more detail in the attachment.

I’m very concerned the impact that this plant will have on the environment and surrounding properties.The problem is waiting for an entrance rd to this facility to be built.There is no curb or guttering and the streets are not that wide to allow heavy trucks and extra vehicles for most of the day.It will be very dangerous for the kids going to from school as they ride there bikes and walk along the roads as there is no path to walk on until you get closer to the school also people walk there dogs and push prams along those roads which are in question.It shouldn’t go ahead as it’s just not a suitable location .

I live in Moss Vale and very concerned of the risk of a company Plasrefine building and operating a toxic plastic waste processing plant in the highlands. The pollution that these facilities produce including carcinogenic waste would be detrimental to people of the Southern Highlands. These are people’s livelihood including many young families moving to the area. consider people please instead of the hip pocket.

I strongly object to this project. It’s not the right sight for this type of project. Also roads will be a major problem with access to heavy vehicles using them. I am also really really concerned about pollutions coming from this site

I object to the location of the proposed site of this development. It would be situated between three towns, Moss Vale , Burradoo and Berrima. It is going to be situated in a major residential area which will impact on safety and lifestyle of residents. There is no infrastructure in place to cope with this facility, nor can it be adequately met by using this site.
Traffic impacts are of major concern . Access to the site not been established and alternative route is not suitable. Lackey and Beaconsfield Roads are not designed for heavy traffic and would take trucks past residential houses 24/7. This is not acceptable. Beaconsfield Road has too narrow an access to accommodate trucks. The local bus company has always had difficulties entering the street from Lackey road.Also a school, preschool are located on this road. Safety is an issue. My adult son with a disability uses these roads currently independently . This will be unable to happen if development uses this site. Many young people with a disability access /live in Moss Vale and traffic will impact on their safety and ability to live more independently. The proposed road to be built will run right beside a research facility.

Noise, light, vibration, traffic, road conditions and fire safety/management have not been adequately addressed in the application. I feel these factors cannot be satisfactorily be solved when using this site.
The scale of the proposed buildings are not in keeping with the area. And concern s are about an unsightly monstrosity will be build. No amount of landscaping will be able to solve this. Though this area has been inadvertently addressed in the application.
Also the environmental and safety records for this company are also questionable and should not be allowed to build in such a population location.

The application in it's entirety has large gaps and inconsistencies that have not been adequately addressed. I feel these cannot be fixed and so the company is using avoidance to get the facility approved on an inappropriate site. I feel this should not be allowed to go ahead on this site.

As a resident of Moss Vale I strongly object to the proposed Plasrefine plan for the following reasons:
- Proposed operator has only recently registered in Australia and has no track record of operating a plant of this size.
- Significant risk of contamination of air quality and water qvuality and damage to surrounding wildlife.
- No road infrastruture exists to support this project. The local council is under administration due to poor management and has a woeful track record of providing appropriate support.
- Significant extra truck traffic on residential streets.
- There has been NO social impact statement prepared and therefore we can not, as residents, accurately assess the impacts on ourselves, our children and our community.
- The proposed site is close to 2 schools and a early childhood centre and less than 3km from centre of town.
This is an inappropriate project for this area.

We are visitors to the Southern Highlands and greatly enjoy the pristine area so are extremely disappointed to hear that a company plan to construct an industrial size complex in the heart of the country to process plastic waste.
There has been limited consultation and no expert information as to how much of the plastics will enter the atmosphere and spoil the environment here and the consequent impact on the human and native species residing in this area.
Plus, the materials will need to be transported long distances to be processed, this will greatly increase heavy vehicle movement through the area, having a major negative impact on road safety. Clearly, this should not allowed unless a road safety audit is undertaken of this proposal.
Common sense says this type of facility needs to be located in a large industrial area associated with using recycled product and near a centre of major plastic waste to be economically viable.
Since visiting, on several occasions we have been privileged to encounter yellow-tailed black cockatoos, red-tailed cockatoos, corroboree frogs and several other frog species. We fear that this project will further endanger these animals. We are concerned that the applicants may not have a good environmental record.
How can we even consider risking our environment to such a group. Plus the absence of thorough health, environmental and ecological assessment needs to be addressed.

Absolute outrage to allow this so close to home owners and a day care, this was a nice country town and with all the developments it's becoming another suburb. We've lost wat we were and it needs to stop. Consider a different more industrial location.

Moss Vale is one of the oldest towns in NSW with a rich heritage. It is not the dumping ground of NSW or in fact Australia. It has a high school, primary and infant schools, TAFE, police HQ and is a vibrant country town. It already has major issues with traffic and no by-pass is in sight. For at least two + hours each weekday and often on Saturday mornings, it is a 'parking lot' as people try to get to work or school and all day most days Moss Vale experiences very heavy traffic. This traffic at certain times is already prohibiting the movement of essential services such as ambulance, police, fire appliances and the SES, which is totally unacceptable. To build a plastic refinery anywhere close to Moss Vale is extraordinary in the extreme and totally unacceptable. Traffic management would be a nightmare bordering impossible, the smell unacceptable (and don't say there won't be any!) and no doubt more low cost housing built for workers. There is already huge underemployment in Moss Vale with most businesses advertising for staff. Don't make this worse.
Australia is a large mainly uninhabited country so why in the world would any government even consider putting this disgusting factory with hundreds or trucks etc. near any town, and specifically Moss Vale. Politics gone mad!

Move it and move it now. This community has been fighting this outrageous proposal for ages and it should just be moved to an uninhabited area now!

I am very concerned about the safety issues that will result from the heavy haulage movements required to service the facility. We live along the route proposed in Moss Vale and have 2 primary school aged children, currently at Moss Vale PS.
Their safety and that of their peers will be hugely compromised as they walk to school and around the neighbourhood.
I’m also concerned about the high levels of noise pollution, air pollution, water pollution and visual pollution that will result from this facility in this location. This is not the right site for a facility of this nature.
There has been no Social Impact Assessment done, likely because there would be extremely adverse findings to the community, specifically around the: safety of children, pedestrians and light vehicles on the roads nearby; community infrastructure; services and facilities; culture; health and well-being and the rural surroundings of Moss Vale.
Please reconsider the building of this facility on this site, it needs to be moved much further away from neighbourhoods and surrounding towns.

Please see attachment below.

I object to the Plasrefine Plastic Waste Recycling Facility being located in the Moss Vale area. This facility goes against everything Moss Vale, Bowral and Berrima community represents in the beautiful Southern Highlands. The scale of the facility impacts all things local. I am a shop owner in the local area, a shop that relies on visitors to this area. The area is known for its tourism, this facility will directly impact visitors to the area which in turn will impact my business. It adversely affects the surroundings, including the natural environment and its associated aesthetic value and amenity. It will also adversely have impact on the amenities of Moss Vale due to the associated traffic, noise, nuisance and its appearance. People would be impacted detrimentally in their way of life, particularly those residents located in the closest proximity. I have family living in the direct area of the facility. They have moved to Moss Vale for an improved way of life. The change to infrastructure capacity, their childcare service, GP, community services and facilities, employment and impact on their day to day activities would be immense. I worry about how my family. There will be an increase in trucks at various times during the day. Can the children still play in their yards both front and back, and be safe from the physical presence of vehicles, their sounds and the pollutants being emitted from them. Is the water still safe? There will be toxic residues, toxins in plastic dust, emissions when there is strong wind. What will happen if there are floods like those we saw recently, can all the toxic waste be contained? Will my family be safe at all times? It will greatly change the function of this great community. While I understand and know the need for such a facility, MOSS VALE IS NOT THE RIGHT AREA. People are drawn to this area for its beautiful quiet, clean, green environment and friendly rural character. I know that allowing this infrastructure to explode in this community will destroy anything that has developed so warmly over time, disintegrating the wellbeing of this great community.

As a resident and owner in Moss Vale I strongly object against this project. It is not the right site for a plastic recycling plant.
It is in a residential area and the air and water pollution could impact negatively on residents, farmland and water supplies. Close to the proposed area live many endangered species including platypus. This would cause further decline of an already threatened species.
The surrounding farmlands provide food to local residents and also people that reside in NSW and could have negative health consequences.
The area does not have the road infrastructure for the number of proposed trucks. The roads are residential and are already struggling.
The Southern Highlands is a tourist area and many businesses are hospitality based. This type of plant would negatively impact these other businesses.
The company is not locally owned and has not shown any concern for the local area. They have not completed a social impact study.
The proposed site is close to schools and the impact on the students health is of great concern.
This is not the right site. A plastic recycling plant needs to be away from residents, endangered species and not close to drinking water supplies. This is the wrong site.

The proposed site is entirely inappropriate.
Access is terrible.
In a residential area, A town centre and schools and childcare facilities.
The scale of the proposed factory is enormous, the building alone takes up 5 acres of land and is several stories high.
The use of water is unsustainable.
The air pollution created is entirely inappropriate for a town with a growing population of young families.
This factory should be somewhere far away from residential properties, with direct access to freeway and train line and nearer Sydney. There’s plenty of open space in that region that could be used.