Billionaire Annie Cannon-Brookes has emerged as a prominent opponent of a proposed plastic recycling facility at Moss Vale in the NSW Southern Highlands.
Ms Cannon-Brookes, one of Australia’s wealthiest individuals, is ranked the third-richest woman in the country by the Australian Financial Review.
She owns significant farmland in the area, actively invests in property, and has previously used her wealth to address the climate crisis through investments in green technology businesses.
An artist’s depiction of the plastic recycling plant at Moss Vale in the NSW Southern Highlands. (Supplied: Plasrefine)
She has raised concerns about the potential environmental and health risks of the recycling facility, particularly due to the proposed plant’s proximity to Sydney’s drinking water catchment.
Ms Cannon-Brookes did not respond to the ABC’s request for an interview but as part of her submission to the NSW Independent Planning Commission’s (IPC) review of the proposal, she engaged environmental engineer and risk expert David Hayden Collins to review the project’s environmental impact statement (EIS).
Dr David Hayden Collins says there were significant gaps in the environmental impact statement. (Supplied: Dr David Hayden Collins)
Dr Collins, founder of Synergetic Consulting Engineers, is known for his work in fire safety, air quality, and particulate removal systems who has helped create Australian environmental standards.
The NSW government has recommended approval for Plasrefine’s recycling facility, which aims to process 120,000 tonnes of plastic annually.
The EIS was prepared by consultancy firm GHD.
Fire hazard risks unaddressed
Dr Collins said his review of the EIS identified several alarming gaps.
“We discovered that there had been no consideration by the proponent in the case of plastic recycling centres of the likelihood and eventuality of a fire at the facility and its consequence,” Dr Collins said.
He said his investigation identified a 30 per cent chance of a major fire occurring over the facility’s 30-year lifespan.
Dr Collins says this plastic recycling facility fire in Pennsylvania in April 2023 shows the scale of response that would be required. (Supplied: NSW IPC)
Dr Collins said the risk was based on comparable facilities in the US and the UK.
“I can probably best explain it by saying the magnitude of the fire is so great that it would be equivalent to — even in a modest fire — of around 60 full semi-trailers loaded with petrol,” he said.
“All we were pointing out is the possibility of that and the consequences of that were not considered at all by the proponent, and that struck us as a significant lapse in the scope of the assessment and it needed to be addressed.”
The report also raised questions about how the EIS addressed airborne and waterborne emissions from a potential fire, which it warned could exceed national air quality standards.
Synergetics Consulting Engineers found the site was in a bushfire-prone area. (Supplied: NSW IPC)
Dr Collins found the facility’s proposed location, within a bushfire-prone zone, further exacerbated the danger.
He also found the EIS relied on emission values guaranteed by the equipment supplier, but noted that Australian regulators, such as the National Association of Testing Authorities, generally required verifiable test reports from accredited laboratories.
These were not provided by the proponent, who was using an overseas-based technology supplier.
The report also compiled videos and photos identifying many occupational, health, safety, and fire deficiencies, concluding the equipment would not meet Australian standards.
Synergetics Consulting Engineers says concerns with the technology suppliers’ images, such as this erased leg, undermine their reliability. (Supplied: NSW IPC)
Large volume of submissions
After three days of public meetings, the IPC announced that, after receiving more than 2,900 submissions, it would not make a determination before the end of 2024.
Ms Cannon-Brookes’ submission was part of the final group lodged with the IPC, which also included submissions from state politicians Alex Greenwich and Jacqui Scruby, federal MP Sophie Scamps, and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones.
Local state MPs Wendy Tuckerman and Judy Hannan have already repeatedly expressed opposition to the project.
The site of the proposed plastic recycling factory at Moss Vale. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)
The ABC contacted Plasrefine and GHD for a response.
GHD declined to be interviewed but in a statement said it stood by the quality of its work.
“Out of respect for the IPC, GHD will avoid any speculation or interpretation about the delay, and would respectfully refer any questions about the process to the IPC,” the statement read.
In a later statement sent to the ABC after this article was published, GHD disputed Dr Collin’s finding that the fire risks were “not considered at all” and that there has been “no consideration” of the likelihood and eventuality of fire.
In a statement the company said it commenced consultation with NSW Fire and Rescue in 2021 and pointed to the Department of Planning’s assessment of the EIS that it “did not identify major fire hazards, though it acknowledged the risk of fire due to combustible waste storage”.
“The EIS provided an assessment against the FRNSW guidelines Fire Safety in Waste Facilities (waste fire safety) and included a range of measures that would be put in place to ensure compliance with the guidelines.
“The Department is satisfied the applicant has demonstrated that the design of the facility would be in accordance with the guidelines and as such fire risk has been managed to ensure there is a low risk of a large fire.
“However, to ensure the final details are suitable, the Department recommends a FSS be prepared in consultation with FRNSW.”
Dr Collins, a key figure in establishing Australia’s first national environmental standard, the Air National Environment Protection Measure (NEPM), in the 1990s, also criticised the planning process that led to the state government’s decision to recommend the facility for approval.
“This is in the hands of the legislators in NSW and I think they need to take a hard look at the legislation that they’ve put together that guided this flawed outcome,” he said.
Planning Minister Paul Scully recently addressed community concerns over the proposed facility, backing the IPC to act with “due diligence” to consider all the evidence and make a decision based on the merits of the proposal.
Editor’s note 16/12/2024: This story has been updated since publication after receiving further correspondence from GHD where they disputed Dr Collin’s findings.
