UPDATE: On Thursday 10 May 2018 the EPA in Australia rang Robyn Kelly (that was taking Panmure Compost to court in July) to inform her that they were not only revoking the permit for Panmure Compost to expand, they were also cancelling the existing licence.
Panmure Compost admitted that they could not contain the smell and would not back themsives to the new $1.5 million dollar improvements and expansion.
So it looks like if you have an authority that have the balls to pull the pin on this type of operation IT CAN BE DONE! NZ EPA say it is not in their jurisdiction,and yet Australia EPA made the right decision. GO FIGURE
New Zealand obviously don't have the balls or admit these facilities are in the WRONG PLACE!
This is a copy of a letter to the editor that was published in ‘The Boston Mail’ in Howlong, Australia.
Robyn Kelly lives approximately 3 kms away from Statewide Waste in Panmure, Victoria, Australia. The community around this waste facility were not notified.
This situation seems very similar to ours here in Tuakau, North Waikato, NZ. We were not notified about Envirofert Composting when Waikato Regional Council gave Envirofert resource consent to take food waste to make into compost in 2009, using a Tonkin+Taylor report that stated 'off-site odour would be low'. Fast forward to 2018 and we have had 9 years of horrific putrid odours when the wind is from S-NW. Sometimes when there is no wind, it just hangs in the air.
Robyn Kelly from Panmure, Victoria, Australia's letter:
While preparing dinner on the evening of August 29, 2017, I heard that there was breaking news.
Walking into the lounge I heard that a compost site had been approved for the town of Howlong. I cannot write here how I felt hearing this. So let me clarify a couple of things. Firstly, I had never heard of Howlong and needed to Google it. Probably similar to the people of Howlong having never heard of the little township of Panmure near Warrnambool. Well we are about to have something in common. Welcome to the world of 24-hour rancid horrific stench. You have to live this life to believe it, and we are luckier than our two neighbours who live the closest to this horror.
We are dairy farmers (not anti or pro green, too busy to care really!) and have endured the stench for some five years, absolutely loathe to voice a complaint as being country people we just didn't want to make waves. We have seen families leave the district, seen beautiful Western Victoria farms totally worthless as no one could possibly buy them as you can't live with the smell. This means our wonderful little town loses school pupils, footballers, and all that enriches a country town. It is
beyond awful.
So here is what you can expect. Stinging eyes, sore throats, no Christmases at your place (you just wouldn't do that to your family), the actual taste of the smell getting into your stomach and making you feel sick, a once per week semi load of dead poultry being dumped and the following few days will be indescribable, no hanging clothes on the line as the smell gets into them and into your home, no assistance from the EPA (environmental protection authority) as they want to be seen to be pro-green and composting makes them look good so you get no help there, trucks entering at all hours of the day and night regardless of operating hours and especially on public holidays! You will be told that only household organic waste and the likes will utilise the facility. Of course more contracts and deals are done with various companies and you won't know what is in the back of those trucks. Speaking of trucks they will be coming from all directions, that are loud, and in a hurry.
So, if you reside within three kilometres of your new compost site that I am sure was sold to you like a modern non-smelling facility that is almost built as a favour to you, well God help you. Oh and the people who are voting for this life-wrecking facility, would they have it in their street? Of course not. Shame on them, I can assure you your lives will never be the same. I am so very sorry for those affected. You will be stuck with it with no support and no help from anyone. This is something you would not wish on your worst enemy.
Robyn Kelly, Panmure
Envirofert in Tuakau owned, operated, shareholders, directors by Andrew Bayly, now Member of Parliament for Hunua, his twin brother Paul and Gary McGuire, Tuakau local. Government departments will not help, does not look good for government with Envirofert's many non-compliances. Waikato Regional and District Councils will not help as they gave Envirofert the right to operate. Councils do not like to think they have made a huge mistake by putting this and Tuakau Protein rendering plant (Envirofert's neighbour) by residential homes. Now Councils want to put a 1 km minimum odour separation distance around these odour producing facilities. This extends over privately owned properties that existed long before these odour producing facilities. Council state that this will not restrict the existing residents. Who will want to buy, live, or open businesses with a odour zone over their property. You would have to be mad! Councils only seem to be considering new residents not the residents that have been here way before these two facilities.
Tuakau could be a great tourist stop, Waikato River is stunning but who wants to live or play with the ever present horrific odours, many seagulls, dirty discharges into the Mighty Waikato River? This river could have walking tracks/bike tracks from Port Waikato to Taupo with many businesses for locals and tourists. But NO the NZ government and councils would rather put odour producing and dirty toxic discharges into the river. Go figure!
This situation seems very similar to ours here in Tuakau, North Waikato, NZ. We were not notified about Envirofert Composting when Waikato Regional Council gave Envirofert resource consent to take food waste to make into compost in 2009, using a Tonkin+Taylor report that stated 'off-site odour would be low'. Fast forward to 2018 and we have had 9 years of horrific putrid odours when the wind is from S-NW. Sometimes when there is no wind, it just hangs in the air.
Robyn Kelly from Panmure, Victoria, Australia's letter:
While preparing dinner on the evening of August 29, 2017, I heard that there was breaking news.
Walking into the lounge I heard that a compost site had been approved for the town of Howlong. I cannot write here how I felt hearing this. So let me clarify a couple of things. Firstly, I had never heard of Howlong and needed to Google it. Probably similar to the people of Howlong having never heard of the little township of Panmure near Warrnambool. Well we are about to have something in common. Welcome to the world of 24-hour rancid horrific stench. You have to live this life to believe it, and we are luckier than our two neighbours who live the closest to this horror.
We are dairy farmers (not anti or pro green, too busy to care really!) and have endured the stench for some five years, absolutely loathe to voice a complaint as being country people we just didn't want to make waves. We have seen families leave the district, seen beautiful Western Victoria farms totally worthless as no one could possibly buy them as you can't live with the smell. This means our wonderful little town loses school pupils, footballers, and all that enriches a country town. It is
beyond awful.
So here is what you can expect. Stinging eyes, sore throats, no Christmases at your place (you just wouldn't do that to your family), the actual taste of the smell getting into your stomach and making you feel sick, a once per week semi load of dead poultry being dumped and the following few days will be indescribable, no hanging clothes on the line as the smell gets into them and into your home, no assistance from the EPA (environmental protection authority) as they want to be seen to be pro-green and composting makes them look good so you get no help there, trucks entering at all hours of the day and night regardless of operating hours and especially on public holidays! You will be told that only household organic waste and the likes will utilise the facility. Of course more contracts and deals are done with various companies and you won't know what is in the back of those trucks. Speaking of trucks they will be coming from all directions, that are loud, and in a hurry.
So, if you reside within three kilometres of your new compost site that I am sure was sold to you like a modern non-smelling facility that is almost built as a favour to you, well God help you. Oh and the people who are voting for this life-wrecking facility, would they have it in their street? Of course not. Shame on them, I can assure you your lives will never be the same. I am so very sorry for those affected. You will be stuck with it with no support and no help from anyone. This is something you would not wish on your worst enemy.
Robyn Kelly, Panmure
Envirofert in Tuakau owned, operated, shareholders, directors by Andrew Bayly, now Member of Parliament for Hunua, his twin brother Paul and Gary McGuire, Tuakau local. Government departments will not help, does not look good for government with Envirofert's many non-compliances. Waikato Regional and District Councils will not help as they gave Envirofert the right to operate. Councils do not like to think they have made a huge mistake by putting this and Tuakau Protein rendering plant (Envirofert's neighbour) by residential homes. Now Councils want to put a 1 km minimum odour separation distance around these odour producing facilities. This extends over privately owned properties that existed long before these odour producing facilities. Council state that this will not restrict the existing residents. Who will want to buy, live, or open businesses with a odour zone over their property. You would have to be mad! Councils only seem to be considering new residents not the residents that have been here way before these two facilities.
Tuakau could be a great tourist stop, Waikato River is stunning but who wants to live or play with the ever present horrific odours, many seagulls, dirty discharges into the Mighty Waikato River? This river could have walking tracks/bike tracks from Port Waikato to Taupo with many businesses for locals and tourists. But NO the NZ government and councils would rather put odour producing and dirty toxic discharges into the river. Go figure!
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