One of Western Australia's largest waste sites looks set to get the go-ahead to grow to a height of 130 metres — with locals dubbing it "Mount Rubbishmore".
Key points:
- WA's Environmental Protection Authority has given conditional approval for the expansion of a waste site in Dardanup
- Locals are concerned the tip will become a dumping ground for the region's waste
- The approval will allow Cleanaway to fill the site with landfill up to 130 metres in height
The Environmental Protection Agency has recommended conditional approval for the expansion of waste company Cleanaway's tip in Dardanup, about 3 kilometres from the town centre.
But sustainability experts and locals say the tip is at odds with the region's prime agricultural land and vineyards, with Dardanup the gateway to the Ferguson Valley wine district.
Battle for waste
Cleanaway, Australia's largest waste company, has for years been battling local authorities and environmental groups to expand the Dardanup tip site.
The company wants to build three extra sections at the tip.
It originally wanted permission for a 150-metre waste pile, but agreed to reduce it to 130 metres.
To put that in perspective, the Great Pyramid of Giza is 146 metres high.
Jill Cross, from the Dardanup Environmental Action Group, said she was disappointed by the conditional approval, saying that locals had already dubbed the existing waste pile "Mount Rubbishmore".
"We would have preferred to see no expansion on that site, without a doubt," she said.
"We've got a landfill site that's four times the size of our town, that's 3 kilometres from our town.
Ms Cross said the site was a scar on the landscape.
"People who don't know think it's a mine site," she said.
"It's 116 metres high, of landfill rubbish.
"It's about three MCGs, it's a huge site, there are trucks on our roads continuously."
Local winery owner Peter Guimelli said the Cleanaway site was not exactly a tourism drawcard.
"Come to Ferguson Valley and see the tip, you know, that's a horrible thing to say," he said.
"But that's becoming increasingly a reality, and when the Bunbury Outer Ring Road is completed, I think the visibility will become even more stark."
'Limited landfill capacity'
A spokesperson for Cleanaway said there was currently "limited landfill capacity" at the Dardanup site.
"Cleanaway has invested heavily in resource recovery, but there will always be the communities' residual waste that will need to be landfilled," the spokesperson said.
The company has listened to the community and reduced the scope of the height of the project, the spokesperson said.
Sustainability expert Peter Newman said he was concerned that the tip looked set to be expanded.
Dr Newman said it was unfair that large tip sites were so close to rural residential areas.
"They've moved away from using sites like that in the metropolitan area, [but] the reality is, it's shifted outside the metro area, and the same issues are moving down there," he said.
The matter will now go before the WA Environment Minister.