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Thursday, 6 July, 2023
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‘The Phantom’ death a mystery
Landfill ‘stink’ By Emily Chapman Laing
Nethraa shows off her bird feeder. 344588
Picture: EMILY CHAPMAN LAING
Crafty kids go green A group of eco-conscious kids were tested on their recycling know-how as part of an interactive crafting session. The City of Casey held a Be an Eco-Kid event at the Lynbrook Community Centre on Thursday 29 June, run by a Waste Education team member.
The 90 minute session included a discussion about what can and can’t be put into kerbside recycling bins, followed by a crafting activity where the kids were able to make bird feeders out of recycled tetra paks. Full story page 2
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Residents living near the SBI inert landfill in Cranbourne say they are fighting a “useless battle“ against the plaguing odour emanating from the site. “Excuse after excuse and nothing has been resolved despite so many community meetings, dealings with the EPA and VCAT,“ resident Mel Hutcheson said. “We sadly just live with this stench affecting us in our daily lives.“ Sharon Berry said she feels “let down“ by the State Government and the City of Casey “who approved this landfill near residential homes, next to one of Victoria’s premier tourist destinations“. “We in the surrounding community have had to endure more than 12 months of the disgusting stink invading our neighbourhoods and at times even inside our homes, causing distress and to some people, physical and mental health issues,“ Ms Berry said. “During the proposal period the community was told that as SBI landfill is to be an ‘inert’ landfill it would not smell and that there would be strict regulations and stiff penalties apply to ensure compliance. “We now know through bitter experience that those claims are untrue.“ Residents said they feel SBI is yet to suffer “any stiff penalties“ after a year of trying to get the odour issue under control. “Our community has suffered and there has not been any compensation offered,“ Ms Berry said.
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“Recently, since the City of Casey lent one of their landfill staff members to SBI to assist in resolving odour issues, the odour issues have reduced significantly and for that I am grateful. “But until such time that there is no more odour being emitted beyond their premises at all and the noise, dust, and tip trucks using our minor roads have been resolved, then my family and I will still feel let down by the government and government entities who have enabled this fiasco to occur.“ The distrust towards government bodies is ripe in the Brookland Greens area, resident Libby explaining she finds it “hard to trust government departments to do what is right“. “I have known from the beginning that nothing would be done until the site is no longer useful,“ she said. Cranbourne MP Pauline Richards said she lives in the area and experiences the odour “first hand“. “I don’t doubt for a moment the impact the odour is having on the local community,“ she said. “Believe me when I say that I understand how much we all want this resolved. “I am advised the EPA are taking regulatory action against this operator to ensure it fixes the odour issues that are impacting our community and is held accountable.” The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria held an online community session on Thursday 22 June, providing residents with an update on the SBI landfill saga. Continued page 8
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