The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended approval for Perth waste boss Sam Mangione's proposed Great Southern Landfill in the Shire of York.
The Environmental Protection Authority has recommended approval for Perth waste boss Sam Mangione's proposed Great Southern Landfill in the Shire of York.
Alkina Holdings has proposed to build a landfill capable of storing up to 250,000 tonnes of Class II or III solid waste, comprising seven landfill cells, leachate ponds, stormwater retention ponds, sediment management structures and an upgrade to the access road and Great Southern Highway intersection.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents show Sam Mangione and Tom Mangione are equal owners of a business that ultimately controls Alkina Holdings.
Sam Mangione was fined $70,000 in Perth Magistrates Court in June last year, after pleading guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment at his Bayswater company Resource Recovery Solutions.
The charges relate to a 2016 incident at the company when a labour hire worker's arm had to be amputated after being caught in a waste sorting machine because there was no guarding around the industrial belt.
WorkSafe has highlighted the company's "long history of flouting workplace safety laws" after the court decision.
Uncontaminated fill and neutralised acid sulfate soil are allowed to be dispensed in a Class II and III landfill, with the latter being a lined landfill designed to accept inert wastes for burial.
The proposed development would envelope 136.83 hectares of land at Allawuna Farm along Great Southern Highway in St Ronans, and has a disturbance area of 84 hectares.
Alkina Holdings also proposed the operational lifespan of the landfill as 28 years with additional time for decommissioning and closure.
A plan to construct a landfill at the site had been ongoing for some years but was not supported by the Mid-West/Wheatbelt Joint Development Assessment Panel.
The EPA report said the proposal was originally referred to the environmental watchdog by Sita Australia in December 2012 and a determination to not assess the proposal was made in July 2013.
In 2019, Alkina, as the new proponent, reduced the proposed capacity for the landfill from 12.8 million cubmic metres to 5.6 million cubic metres.
The decision is appealable with the EPA's report open for a three-week public appeal period.
Despite recommending approval, EPA chair Matthew Tonts said the independent authority recognised the level of community concern.
Mr Tonts said it was noted that the proposal was not consistent with the Shire of York’s current planning scheme.
"The EPA considered the proposal as it related to significant environmental impacts but was not able to consider concerns outside of these matters,” he said.
“It is important that decision-makers across government give full consideration to those issues beyond the scope of the EPA, especially as they relate to planning and regional development.”
The report said the EPA acknowledged there had been public concerns over the sitting of large domestic and commercial and industrial waste landfills outside the Swan Coastal Plains.
