Campaign against Werribee toxic dump
By Mark Abberton
MELBOURNE — Residents of Werribee, in the western suburbs, picketed a shareholder meeting of CSR at the Grand Hyatt here on July 16. Werribee Residents Against Toxic Dump are campaigning to stop CSR and Brambles from opening a toxic dump and composting facility in Werribee.
WRATD has collected 19,000 signatures on a petition against the dump and received 500 letters of support from local businesses.
"We have been focusing on getting many people who live in Werribee involved. We have had many rallies, public meetings and cultural events; we have been able to get young people involved in schools, and a youth group called Detox is organising a concert", spokesperson Harry van Moorst explained.
Some 140,000 tonnes of toxic waste per year — 54 truck loads per day — will be dumped at the proposed site. The composting facility will have about 160 deliveries each day.
Substances to be dumped include mercury, arsenic, cadmium and chromium — all among the top 20 most hazardous substances, according to the 1993 US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Other harmful substances include beryllium, antimony, thallium and various copper and nickel compounds, some of which react together to produce harmful gases.
The CSR proposal is for a double compacted clay liner, which is prone to seepage and cracking because of earth movement and internal pressures. Spillage during transport and unloading is another problem.
The site adjoins major flood plains, so a serious flood is possible. Any leakage or spillage could harm the farming community, nearby World Heritage-listed wetlands and Port Phillip Bay.
Fires are common in landfills and may burn for several years. They have the potential to be highly toxic.
There is pressure for the government to approve the toxic dump due to Victoria's waste management crisis. There has been a 268% increase in the production of hazardous waste over the past decade; the increase in solid hazardous waste has been 684%.
If the EPA approves the CSR/Brambles dump, it will give a green light to greater waste production.