THE SMELL stuck in the air of Redbank Plains and surrounding suburbs on Friday night, following the landmark ruling against NuGrow Ipswich by the Planning and Environment Court.
The Court issued the restraint order following months of legal proceedings brought by the Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation to force NuGrow to take action to reduce nuisance odours emanating from the company’s compositing facility in the Swanbank Industrial Estate.
The order requires NuGrow to undertake a three-stage process to transform its operations and reduce odours ending with the implementation of a permanent enclosed structure for receiving and mixing waste.
Spokesperson for Stop the Stink Tracey Butler told Local Ipswich News that she did not hold much faith in the decision having any real impact.
“Residents and their children still have to put up with these odours potentially for up to four years,” she said.
“Other operators including Wood Mulching Industries, Remondis and Cleanaway still can keep doing what they are doing until they get caught out and then are they taken to court to go through the same process as Nugrow?
“This election hopefully sees Labor out; we need a Government that will call a health inquiry and to shut down these cowboy operators that thumb their noses and pollute our air.”
The region’s State Members welcomed the order, with Member for Bundamba and Minister Lance McCallum labelling the court order as a win for the community and common sense.
The Ipswich and Lockyer Valley Greens have been proactive and vocal throughout the past four-year campaign alongside Stop the Stink and other resident groups, as Greens candidate for Bundamba Tracey Nayler said the group does not think the order will change much.
“The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation is crowing about securing a ‘landmark’ Court outcome to restrain NuGrow, yet our community’s concerns remain unresolved. What has actually changed on the ground?” she said.
“This could be four more years of spoiled family gatherings by putrid odours and suffering the ill effects upon health caused by the VOCs and unknown pollutants from NuGrow’s activities”.
“Our community deserves to have our health and wellbeing protected as a priority over the right of NuGrow to make a profit at our expense.”
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said that she was pleased that Council had been successful in securing the order after working alongside the community for years to advocate for stronger action to be taken.
“I would have personally preferred if the temporary membrane system, goretex, had not been included, as a permanent enclosed structure or in-vessel system is best practice and what our community and Council would like to see here as soon as possible,” she said. “We will now have to wait and see what benefits the court’s decision will bring the community and how quickly can it be achieved, because residents in Ipswich should not have to put up with the overpowering stink from waste odours in their homes.”.
