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Loddon HERALD Vol 5 No 8, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2025 ISSN 2653-1550
COMPOST PILES TOO BIG - EPA
REMOVE THEM By CHRIS EARL
OVERSIZED organic heaps are at the centre of a Newbridge fire probe and rising community disquiet. Environmental Protection Authority says it will order South Australian-owned BioGro to produce a plan to “process and remove the oversized material currently stockpiled onsite”. Volunteer firefighters from across the Loddon and Bendigo battled a fire that jumped Yorkshire Road and raced through 85 hectares of farmland, destroying fences and grain stored in a paddock. Strong late afternoon winds fanned flames from a fire the company later said had started in one of its maturation blocks. Organic waste piled several metres high and within metres of an electrical transformer pole were doused with water by firefighters and smouldered into last week. Energy Safe Victoria has been contacted about the incident and regulations on storage of flammable material around power poles. Regulations prohibit material under lines on public land “that alters the level of the ground”. Firefighters say the February 15 fire was the third time this year that they had been called to BioGro’s 160-hectare site. They claim there have been other fires not reported to the CFA. BioGro yesterday morning was preparing a statement for the Loddon Herald. EPA north west regional man-
A Government agency showcase promotional photograph last November and ((inset) on the night of the February 15 fire that jumped Yorkshire Road ager Paul Rataczyk said: “We’re investigating the circumstances of a fire at a Newbridge composting facility.” Mr Ratacyzk said the EPA intended to issue two legal notices to the company that requires: An analysis of the fire event and identification of the cause for
the fire and actions required to prevent future occurrences, and A plan to process and remove the oversized material currently stockpiled onsite. “We expect licence holders to comply with the conditions of their licence, including that waste does not burn at premise.”
Police have confirmed they are also investigating the latest fire. Loddon Shire’s Tarnagulla ward councillor Nick Angelo said residents had raised concerns about litter and odour in the area. Cr Angelo said he had met with several residents in recent months and discussed their con-
cerns with council staff, asking for further information. Plastic and paper has been seen on fencelines and in paddocks adjoining to the facility taken over by Mount Gambier-based BioGro in 2022. A $1.69 million State Government grant has been used by BioGro to expand operations at Newbridge, shown off to Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Sustainability Victoria, and Recycling Victoria last November. A month later the EPA approved a development licence to more than double production from 60,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes a year at the site of the former Scato Plus mushroom composting business. BioGro is licenced to handle municipal green waste, manures, commercial garden and landscaping organics free of contamination and animal effluent and residues, including abattoir waste. The 2023 application said there had been just a single complaint about odour outside the Newbridge site boundary and it had improved processes for storage of animal manure. BioGro said the fire risks in compost piles would be managed by onsite controls and “risk of uncontrolled fire is considered low”. It said piles would be less than 2.2 metres. While Loddon communities are covered by CFA volunteer brigades, BioGro’s licence application listed only Fire Rescue Victoria as a key stakeholder at Newbridge.
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