Cockburn Cement hit with new restrictions over ‘unreasonable odours’ from Munster plant

2 months ago 13

Western Australia’s largest lime and cement maker has been slapped with new conditions in an attempt to reduce “unreasonable” odours from the Munster plant that have been a source of controversy in surrounding suburbs for years.

On Tuesday, the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation issued a prevention notice ordering Cockburn Cement to reduce the amount of shell sand fed into its lime-making process by 20 per cent to 160 tonnes per hour between January 1 and April 30.

Adbri’s Cockburn Cement lime plant on Perth’s southern suburb of Munster has long attracted complaints from nearby residents about dust and stench.

In the notice, DWER chief executive Alistair Jones said the “unreasonable odour” was being emitted by the Adbri subsidiary during this part of the lime-making process.

“This is due to the emission of unreasonable odour into the atmosphere from kiln stacks 5 and 6 at the premises, caused by waste gases released during the heating of shell sand in the lime manufacturing process,” he said.

DWER said it was also considering further regulatory actions to reduce odours from the plant.

The notice is the latest in a long history of controversy surrounding the 70-year-old plant, as suburban developments edged closer.

In 2022, Cockburn Cement and Adbri were found guilty on six counts of emitting unreasonable emissions following a monitoring program by the government.

The charges followed numerous complaints from residents in adjacent suburbs like Beeliar.

More than a dozen residents who made complaints to a pollution hotline gave evidence during a three-week trial about the impact the sulfur stench from the plant had on their daily lives, which many likened to that of a high school chemistry lab.

One resident told of being driven inside his home after a downwind from the lime plant left an odour lingering around his home for several hours in March and April of 2019.

Others told of how life events and day-to-day activities had been affected, with birthday parties cut short, plans changed and parents bringing their children inside to play.

The company was fined $290,000 for the odour breaches, which was reduced to $245,000 on appeal.

In March this year it was fined a further $20,000 for unreasonable emissions that occurred in 2020.

Cockburn Labor MP David Scaife took to Facebook to declare the prevention notice was progress, but there was more to do, and he eventually wanted to see the plant moved from its Munster location.

“This won’t completely fix the issue, but it should improve it over summer,” he said.

“While I welcome the prevention notice, my overall position on this issue is unchanged: Cockburn Cement must either completely eliminate unreasonable odour and dust from the Munster plant, or it must move.

“I will continue to campaign against Cockburn Cement until one of these outcomes has been achieved. The delays and broken promises from Cockburn Cement must stop.”

Scaife said he had written to the company urging it to suspend operations on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

In November, Cockburn Cement applied to extend its operating licence by five years.

The application is out for public comment until January.

Cockburn Cement was approached for comment.

During its 2022 court case, the company’s lawyers argued its operations provided social utility, contributing to the economy and providing employment opportunities for West Australians.

It also argued that the emissions had occurred in accordance with its operating licence.