Environmental Management

Environmental risks from composting activities may 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 to reduce odour.

Neutrog finalised an Environment Improvement Program (EIP) in September 2023 which proposes a plan to improve the site’s odour performance. The measures to improve odour were informed by qualified experts who assessed the odour performance of the site. The EIP must be complied with as per the EPA licence.

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:

• Ensuring compliance with licence
• Triaging and 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.

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.