Wednesday, 16 July 2014

Sorell Council meeting, 15 July 2014, planning permission for a remediation facility at Copping

Thank you to SBCS members who were at the Sorell Council meeting last 
night to hear Councillor's discussion about construction of the 
proposed remediation facility at the Copping landfill site. 
The remediation site planning application was passed by Council with 
2 dissenters. Mayor Kerry Vincent agreed that the community, through 
93 submissions, had voiced their opposition and these had been taken 
into consideration with the planning application.  
All SBCS members present at the meeting asked questions and stated 
SBCS's position about the remediation site, the C cell and the need 
for State government to regulate landfill. Mayor Kerry Vincent agreed 
that a state based policy for waste management is needed. Kerry also 
advised that Councils were in discussion with Government about reforms 
to waste management. Council also acknowledged that the "Blue Environment" 
Report (2014)*, commissioned by the Waste Advisory Council (WAC), 
states that Tasmania lags behind other states with waste management, 
making 22 recommendations, including introduction of a waste levy to 
provide financial incentives for recycling. SBCS agree that there has been 
a major step forward by Councils and state government with regard to 
waste management,they are beginning to listen! The C cell is on hold, 
Government and Council are more open to looking at alternative solutions. 
We will continue to work against Copping taking hazardous waste from 
around the state, while promoting sustainable waste management and job 
creation with waste reduction, recycling and reuse. 
 
 
*Tasmanian Waste Review, Final Report:P403, prepared for Waste Advisory 
Committee, March 2014, Blue Environment Pty Ltd.