Environmental Management

Environmental risks from composting activities include nuisance dust and odour from the management of organic material in the composting process.

Odour

The EPA is aware of odour issues generated by the operations of Neutrog affecting the local community. The EPA licence requires Neutrog to take actions to minimise odour emissions from the site. This includes the engagement of an air quality specialist to assess odour sources and make recommendations to improve the performance of the site with the aim to reduce odour.

Neutrog finalised a staged Environment Improvement Program (EIP) in September 2023 which proposes a plan to improve the site’s odour performance. The staged EIP has been accepted by the EPA and forms part of Neutrog’s EPA licence. Key measures of the EIP include:

  • Relocating initial composting stages to a new compost pad on the south of the site, furthest from Kanmantoo
  • Building a shed to enclose the front-end processes (including receipt of material and initial stockpile conditioning) when the material is most odorous
  • Undertaking odour modelling and monitoring (by an air quality expert) following the implementation of the above actions to assess the odour performance of the site with those measures in place.


These measures were recommended by qualified experts who assessed the odour performance of the site periodically. Neutrog has progressed aspects of the staged EIP by submitting development applications seeking approval to implement the above measures.

Dust

Neutrog has a licence requirement to implement and comply with a dust management plan, and take reasonable and practicable measures to minimise fugitive dust leaving the boundary of the site. The EPA’s role in regulating dust includes:

  • Investigating dust complaints
  • Conducting observations in the community to verify sources of dust
  • Undertaking site inspections of the Neutrog site
  • Verifying dust management practices are being implemented on site.


During composting activities, the EPA expects Neutrog to implement all appropriate measures to minimise any impact on air quality. This includes dust suppression, ensuring that meteorological conditions for certain operational activities are considered, and implementing all necessary controls to restrict and control fugitive dust leaving the site.