West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility Expansion

Please see the attached submission. We are not opposed per see but as a party whose business is significantly impacted by the existing operation we are concerned about the operators intent or ability to comply with regulation without outside monitoring and enforcement. This opinion is formed from the experience 10 years of unresolved issues re the current significantly smaller operation.

RE: Submission in Support – SSD-81129958
West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility Expansion
30 and 38 Nells Road, West Gosford

I am writing to express my support for the proposed expansion of the West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility under SSD-81129958.

As someone working within the landscape construction and broader construction industry on the Central Coast and surrounding regions, I believe appropriately managed resource recovery facilities are an important part of supporting continued development while improving the way construction and demolition waste is managed.

Construction projects inevitably generate significant quantities of waste material. Providing greater local capacity to receive, separate, process and recover these materials has the potential to reduce the amount of reusable construction material being unnecessarily disposed of as waste.

The proposed expansion of an existing resource recovery operation at West Gosford is particularly relevant given the ongoing level of residential, commercial and infrastructure development occurring throughout the Central Coast.

From an industry perspective, having appropriately located and regulated waste and resource recovery facilities within the region provides several practical benefits, including:

Greater capacity for the recovery and recycling of construction and demolition materials.

Reduced reliance on landfill disposal where materials can otherwise be recovered or reused.

Improved access to waste management facilities for local builders, landscapers, demolition contractors and other construction businesses.

The potential to reduce unnecessary transport distances associated with moving construction waste outside the local area.

Support for a more circular construction industry, where materials are increasingly recovered and returned to productive use rather than treated solely as waste.

Additional infrastructure to support the continued growth of the construction sector on the Central Coast.

In my experience within landscape construction, effective waste management is an important but often overlooked component of project delivery. Materials including concrete, masonry, soil, aggregates and other construction products can represent substantial waste streams across projects. Increasing the capacity to appropriately sort and recover construction and demolition waste is therefore a positive step towards improving the environmental performance of the local construction industry.

I recognise that an expansion of this scale must also appropriately manage potential impacts associated with traffic movements, noise, dust, water quality, operational practices and surrounding properties. These matters should continue to be assessed and managed through the SSD assessment process and appropriate operational conditions.

Provided these impacts can be satisfactorily managed, I support the expansion of the West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility.

In my view, the Central Coast needs suitable infrastructure to accompany its continued development. Resource recovery facilities form an important part of that infrastructure, particularly as the construction industry moves towards greater material recovery, recycling and responsible waste management.

For these reasons, I support SSD-81129958 and the continued assessment of the proposal with appropriate environmental and operational safeguards.

Kind regards,

Richard Wigley
Blue Sky Landscaping and Construction

Objection to SSD-81129958
Proponent: Economy Waste Group Pty Ltd
I am writing as a property owner in the local Central Coast area, to object to the proposed expansion of the West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility at 30 and 38 Nells Road.

Please find attached letter detailing my concerns.

This is not simply an extension of an existing business. The proposal would increase the facility from approximately 30,000 tonnes per year to 200,000 tonnes per year — almost seven times the existing approved throughput — while expanding the operating area from approximately 7,890 m² to 24,570 m² across the two properties, adding a new integrated entry, weighbridge, wheel wash, buildings, hardstand and stormwater infrastructure.


My concerns are:
• The enormous increase in waste throughput, from approximately 30,000 to 200,000 tonnes per year — a nearly seven-fold increase, on an operating area more than three times its current size.
• The proposed 24-hour, 7-day dispatch and transport of material, which is highly unreasonable and unnecessary for a facility in this location, with noise, truck movements, reversing alarms, loading, unloading and lighting extending into the night.
• Site suitability. Nells Road is zoned industrial, but it neighbours working businesses and other sensitive receivers identified in the project’s own Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment (Appendix F). Industrial zoning is not a blank cheque for unrestricted activity.
• The operator’s documented EPA non-compliance history — including official cautions, a stockpile-height breach and a $15,000 penalty notice — at a site now seeking to operate at more than six times its approved throughput.
• Whether this much additional capacity is needed at all, given the Central Coast already has substantial waste and recycling infrastructure, with many other recycling centres in the area.
• The lack of transparency around the apparent 200,000-tonne versus 300,000-tonne capacity referred to in different project material.
• Environmental risk — dust and air quality, noise, stormwater, groundwater, stockpiles, traffic, fire, waste contamination, vegetation clearing, threatened species and Aboriginal cultural heritage.
• The need for actual, ongoing, independently verified monitoring, rather than reliance on the proponent’s predictions and modelling.
• The adequacy of the environmental information provided to the public and to the Department.

Please see the attached letter outlining my concerns in detail.

FORMAL OBJECTION
I am writing to object to the proposed expansion of the resource recovery facility at 30 and 38 Nells Road, West Gosford.
Please see my letter attached outlining my concerns.

I work in the building and construction industry, and I have trucked waste material off our jobs to, and picked up aggregates from resource recovery facilities many times over the past decades in my time working in the industry. I have seen some good facilities and some sub-par facilities. I understand the importance of having facilities that can properly handle construction and demolition waste, and which are held to the correct standards and regulations. Recycling and recovering building materials is necessary. However, I do NOT believe the information provided in this SSD justifies increasing this facility to the scale proposed. The assessment leans heavily on modelling and desktop figures, and does not properly deal with how a site this size actually runs day to day. I believe the EIS needs to be reworked, based on how the site will actually operate and not just how it performs in a model, before the SSD can be properly assessed.

As a builder, I understand the high importance of prioritising all design and construction decisions before the construction process starts, especially when it comes to environmental controls and traffic. Left until later, they fall short of standards and they don't work. Everything needs to be in place and proven before the facility opens, so it runs properly from day one. These issues can't be an afterthought.

Key points to support the objection:

• Dust, noise and amenity: Crushing, tipping and truck movements all scale up with throughput. The EPL already has specific dust and material-tracking requirements.
• Stormwater, fire and stockpiles: Much larger stockpiles need proven stormwater and fire controls. The Department should look at heavy rain, fire, power loss and over-stockpiling, not just normal conditions.
• Environment and Aboriginal heritage: The site needs a proper survey for threatened species and habitat (for example pygmy possums) and for Aboriginal archaeological potential, not an assumption based on past industrial use.
• 24-hour dispatch: Loadout and transport could run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That means night-time heavy vehicle movements, reversing noise, headlights and site lighting near neighbours.
• Weighbridge queuing: The 20 m weighbridge sits at the single gate to 38 Nells Road, with no room on site for trucks to wait. Queues would spill onto Nells Road, a dead end, and back up towards Manns Road. The traffic report doesn't appear to assess queue length. The suggested fix is a setback of at least 28 m.
• Scale of the increase: Throughput goes from about 30,000 to up to 200,000 tonnes per year, almost seven times the current approval. The operating area grows from about 7,890 m² to 24,570 m². This is a major change, not a minor upgrade.
• No clear need shown: The Central Coast Resource Management Strategy 2020–2030 describes the region as well supplied with waste and recycling infrastructure. Large facilities are already approved, including 200,000 tpa at 90 Gindurra Road and about 99,000 tpa at 33 Pile Road, Somersby. The application doesn't show what shortfall this site would fill.
• Unclear project scale: The Planning Portal says 200,000 tpa, but earlier consultant material said the EIS was assessing up to 300,000 tpa, including acid sulfate soils for transfer. That 100,000 tpa gap leaves it unclear what the public is being asked to comment on.
• EPA compliance history: Under EPL 20648, the site has had Official Cautions in 2017, stockpiles over the 4 m limit in December 2019, and a $15,000 penalty notice in February 2020. The question is why controls that struggled at 30,000 tpa should be trusted at 200,000 tpa.
• Modelling is not enough: The EIS relies on modelling and desktop figures and doesn't deal with how a site this size runs day to day. It should be reworked before the SSD is assessed.

I object to SSD-81129958 and ask the Department to reject the proposal. At the very least, it should not be assessed any further until the EIS is reworked to deal with these issues properly.

Please review my concerns in more detail in the letter attached.

Being a small building company on the central coast who specialises in bathrooms and does a lot of ripouts requiring collection, Economy Waste’s local facility benefits our business greatly.
The proposal will provide a local option for our business to dispose of our Construction and Demolition waste.
In an environmentally responsible manner. This will reduce costs
associated with transport, directly benefiting local businesses.
Thank you

I support this project and it will provide a handy hub for waste disposal, which is urgently needed on the central coast...especially after the closure of Kincumber Transfer station.
This project will also create much needed employment for local residents as well
I have used economy waste for the last 15 years and still continue to do so, they are a family buisness with interity and measure, this project will also reduce landfill as they heavily recycle the majority of our waste

I am writing in support of the proposed expansion of the Economy Waste Group facility at West Gosford.

Goodwill Building Group is a residential and commercial builder operating across the Central Coast. We are a regular user of the Economy Waste facility and have been for a number of years, across multiple concurrent sites including projects at North Avoca, Berkeley Vale, Somerbsy and Gosford. Our loads range from small ute loads to multi-tonne truck loads of mixed construction and demolition waste, and we separate brick and concrete as its own stream where the job allows it.

Our experience as a customer. The service has been reliable, convenient and professional. Invoicing is accurate and job-referenced, which makes cost allocation across our sites straightforward. The site is easy to work with for tradespeople arriving with loaded trucks, which matters when you are running a crew and losing a driver for a run.

Capacity. From our own observation of the site, it is operating at or near its practical capacity. Truck movements and queuing at peak times have grown noticeably alongside construction activity on the Coast. The proposed expansion appears to us to be a response to real and existing demand rather than speculative growth, and we would expect the improved layout and the enclosed Tip and Spread Building and Picking Station to improve turnaround times as well as reduce dust and noise from sorting.

Location. West Gosford Industrial Estate is the appropriate place for this use. It is an established industrial area with existing heavy vehicle access, and keeping the facility there avoids the impacts that would come with locating it closer to rural residential land. It is well suited to our business from a commercial aspect.

Travel and cost. For a builder, disposal distance is a direct cost — it is paid twice, in tip fees and in labour and vehicle time. Our closest alternatives for C&D waste involve significantly longer round trips. Losing local capacity, or having it constrained, would push those runs further afield, add cost to every job on the Coast, and put more heavily loaded trucks on the regional road network for longer.

Resource recovery. We support the recovery of concrete, brick, tile, excavated material, timber, metals and plasterboard rather than sending recoverable material to landfill. The production of locally sourced soil and aggregate products is also of direct practical interest to us as a builder, we buy those materials as well as dispose of them, and a local alternative to virgin material is a genuine benefit on both sides of the transaction.

Employment. Twenty-five new full-time positions is a meaningful outcome for the local area, particularly in an industry where entry-level work leads to trade and plant operating pathways.

Conclusion. Based on our direct experience as a customer, we support SSD-81129958 and ask that the proposed expansion be approved. Adequate local resource recovery capacity is going to matter more, not less, as construction activity on the Central Coast continues.

I am happy to be contacted regarding this submission.

William Miles
Director, Goodwill Building Group
0402 345 287 | [email protected]

Being a builder within the Central Coast local government area I make good use of this facility and believe the expansion will enable local builders to use a facility closer to their developments. This ensures less traffic on local roads as it is a great alternative to the two council tips available and this facility is located between these two council facilities. The cost of fuel is also a major factor these days so the proximity to the projects I personally work on makes a big difference.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to express my support for the proposed Economy Waste expansion, SSD-81129958, at West Gosford.

As a local business involved in the construction industry, I understand the importance of having reliable and accessible waste management and resource recovery facilities on the Central Coast.

The proposed expansion would provide local businesses with an important option for the responsible disposal and recovery of Construction and Demolition waste, Commercial and Industrial waste, and non-putrescible municipal solid waste. Having these services available locally can reduce unnecessary transport distances, save businesses time and transport costs, and contribute to greater efficiency across the local construction industry.

The proposed facility is also expected to significantly increase the recovery of materials, including concrete, bricks, tiles, excavated natural material, timber, metals and plasterboard. Recovering these materials for reuse rather than sending them unnecessarily to landfill is an important part of improving resource efficiency and reducing reliance on landfill.

Of particular benefit to the construction industry is the recovery and processing of soils and aggregates into materials suitable for reuse as soil replacement products and engineered fill. Locally sourced recycled materials can provide a practical alternative to virgin resources for construction and landscaping projects.

I also support the proposed improvements to the facility's operations, including the separation and sorting of materials within the Tip & Spread Building and Picking Station. These measures have the potential to improve operational efficiency while helping to manage noise and dust impacts.

From my experience with Economy Waste, I have found the facility and service to be reliable, convenient and professional. The facility provides an important service to builders, trades, demolition contractors and civil construction businesses across the Central Coast.

As development and construction activity continues throughout the region, maintaining adequate local waste recovery and recycling capacity will become increasingly important. Local access to these services helps businesses operate efficiently while supporting more sustainable construction practices.

The proposed expansion is also expected to create approximately 25 full-time employment opportunities, providing a direct benefit to the local community and economy.

Overall, based on my experience as a local business and user of Economy Waste, I support SSD-81129958 and believe the proposed expansion would provide important economic, employment and resource-recovery benefits to the Central Coast.

I respectfully ask that the proposed expansion be given consideration and approved.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Stephens
Beach Breeze Building
Director

The proposal for economy waste should be not accepted at this stage due to lack of real world problem solving ie
Dust , this is a major by product of this facility , over the years i know of many complaints lodged with the EPA . To the real world problem , they already do at least 100, 000 tons a year based on the traffic on the shared road , to think you would allow 10 times that , well thats a highway. Note fair for surrounding business . The three sided buildings proposed , well hello that does not stop wind and it wont stop dust when tipping from a truck or crushing , more homework needed . I propose fully enclosed with sprinklers . The current water management seems none existant as we see mud and soil from trucks tracked down the shared road every day just to see it get washed down the drain as the street sweeper they have puts more dust out the back than it collects . The surrounding roads are filthy from this site , anyone can follow the yellow brick road to Kansas . The submission briefly talks about vibration as an issue , it is an issue now . What is going to be done about it ? if they increase productivity i bet 2 more crushers will be on site which will with that much vibration force a company to move to new premises 10 million dollars would be spent as this company relies on million dollar machines to manufacture metal goods for this country . Thats not fair.
No body objects to a business such as Economy waste doing what they do but its effecting hundreds of people who work in the 1 km radius , their health , their business our streets and our waterways currently are paying a price for their profits , now that is not legal and not nice . When we talk of costs , we as in anyone who works in the nearby 1km area can testify to the individuals having to wash their cars all the time to stop the paint work from damage . ie we all know they crush Hebel aerated concrete . This is Alpine Snow like white .It etchs into paint and its everywhere every day . Hebel SDS version 1.3 issued 2021-12-14 ref no csr0001701 point 6 large spills , wear protective equipment to prevent skin and eye contamination .It also goes on to say prevent run off into drains ,call emergency services . Isnt this part of their PIRMP ? section 147 material harm ,includes actual or potential harm to humans health . Years they have crushed this and we all have breathed it in . Australia has closed business down as the laws change and we cant use chemicals in the production of say chrome and other toxic wastes. All im saying is we have a place for recycling of materials , the Govt has made silicosis by dust illegal and yet work cover knows of this being an issue on this site so does the EPA , so how is it still happening , and you givin g them the green light to 10 fold the amount they can recycle with out proper facilities is a death sentence for all of us and you the Govt will be liable without proper planning , this is not planned well for the future .

Aplus support the proposed expansion just on being able to increase the recycling capacity alone.
Economy waste are a professional organisation that are always on time, reliable and are trusted supplier on our building sites that have a long relationship with.
The expansion will allow Economy Waste to continue investing in local recycling infrastructure
while making waste disposal easier and more efficient for the businesses, trades and customers
who rely on our facility every day.

We support the much needed recycling capabilities that will divert C&D and C&I waste from landfill within the Central Coast Region.
Being a small business, with large projects in and around the Central Coast area, recycled products form a large part in our landscaping projects.
The Facility will provide cost effective recycling services for our business and the community, and will help in reducing the dependence on landfills.
Small businesses are a major part of our community, this expansion will create jobs and keep a small business operational.

I support the project.

This expansion will benefit the local community and business as the location and accessibility is central to the Central Coast area and it will allow more waste to be sorted and recycled, diverting rubbish from landfills like at council tips. Economy Waste are repritable and a fantastic local company working to better the environment and support should be given for what they are working towards.

I support this project. It is a purposeful, meaningful and extremely useful project to the Central Coast Community.
Economy Waste is a local family owned and operated resource recovery facility.
The provide waste and resource recovery services to hundreds if not thousands of local businesses and individuals on the Central Coast.
As a small business owner, I value their services immensely. They are local to my projects, they accept and recycle substantial volumes of mixed and recyclable wastes from my business and they provide tailored and excellent good old fashioned customer service.
From small vehicles to truck and quad dog combinations, they can facilitate our waste and recycling requirements.
They are extremely reliable and very professional.
They recycle masonry materials, scrap metals, general wastes, mixed wastes and everything in between.
They have a significant amount of experience and knowledge to manage recycling services and do it extremely well.
They are open early and close late, meaning I can drop materials on the way to or on the way home from work sites in the morning or afternoon.
I personally know a substantial number of local businesses, from construction companies to excavation companies, within our own local community who use Economy Waste. They are a staple in the community for the construction industry as a whole.
Our business continues to rely on their services and will do for many years to come.

I am writing to express my support for the proposed expansion of the West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility.

As someone involved in the building and construction industry on the Central Coast, I believe facilities such as this are important infrastructure for a growing region. Construction and demolition activity generates significant volumes of waste, and having appropriately located and regulated facilities capable of sorting, processing and recovering these materials is essential.

Increasing local resource recovery capacity provides an opportunity to divert more construction and demolition material away from landfill and recover materials that can be recycled or reused. This is a much better long-term outcome than relying heavily on landfill disposal, particularly as the Central Coast continues to grow and construction activity increases.

The proposal also has the benefit of expanding an existing resource recovery operation within West Gosford rather than requiring an entirely new facility elsewhere.

From an industry perspective, having adequate waste and recycling capacity within the local region is also important. Transporting construction waste unnecessarily long distances adds cost, increases truck movements over a broader road network and creates additional emissions. Maintaining suitable processing capacity close to the areas generating the waste is a practical and more sustainable approach.

The construction industry is a major contributor to employment and economic activity on the Central Coast, and supporting infrastructure needs to grow alongside it. Investment in modern resource recovery facilities can support local employment while improving the way construction and demolition materials are managed.

For these reasons, I support the proposed expansion and believe it can provide a positive outcome for the Central Coast.

I respectfully request that the Department give favourable consideration to the application.

We have used Economy Waste for many years and have always found them to be highly professional and extremely convenient. We support their expansion and welcome the growth of local businesses especially in the recycling space and the extra jobs that will come with this expansion.

I am writing to express my support for the proposed West Gosford Resource Recovery Facility Expansion at 30 and 38 Nells Road, West Gosford.

I believe investment in modern waste recovery and recycling infrastructure is important for the future of the Central Coast, particularly as our population and the amount of waste generated within the region continue to grow.

I support the proposal because it aims to improve the recovery, sorting and processing of waste from local households, businesses and the construction industry. Increasing our capacity to recover useful materials rather than simply treating them as waste is, in my view, a positive step towards more responsible and sustainable waste management.

I appreciate that a facility of this scale needs to be appropriately managed. I therefore support the proposal subject to the environmental, traffic, noise, air-quality and other mitigation measures identified through the assessment process being properly implemented and monitored. I note that the application is supported by specialist assessments addressing matters including traffic, noise and vibration, air quality, water management, biodiversity and social impacts.

Overall, I believe improving local resource-recovery infrastructure is preferable to allowing increasing volumes of potentially recoverable material to go to waste. The proposal has the potential to improve recycling outcomes on the Central Coast while supporting local employment and investment.

For these reasons, I support SSD-81129958 and ask that my submission be considered as part of the assessment of the proposal.

I fully support the proposed expansion of the Resource Recovery Facility at 30 Nells Road, West Gosford. Expanding the facility will help improve resource recovery, reduce waste going to landfill, and support a more sustainable future for the local community. I encourage the relevant authorities to approve this development.

Their business services are very reliable and cost effective for the Central Coast.
Highly recommend their services.