Residents meet in the Gerogery Hall last night over the composting site. Picture: KYLIE ESLER
CLEANAWAY representatives did not attend a public meeting about their $8.5 million proposal for a compost facility at Gerogery, telling residents it was not their policy to attend.
About 60 residents packed the small hall last night for the second public meeting since Transpacific Cleanaway lodged a development application with the Greater Hume Council in October.
Member for Albury Greg Aplin attended, along with representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency and the council, as well as agricultural and environmental scientists.
Chairman of the meeting and Gerogery resident Mike Scollard said he had asked Cleanaway to attend but was told it was company policy not to attend public meetings.
Mr Aplin acknowledged residents’ held deep concern and told them to attend a planning panel meeting on February 7.
The Joint Regional Planning Panel will decide whether to accept Cleanaway’s proposal.
Because the project is more than $5 million, it’s out of the council’s hands.
With Mr Aplin were two EPA representatives who were there to talk to residents privately.
Mr Aplin said the EPA would assess Cleanaway’s proposal.
Gerogery resident and environmental scientist Tanya Schramm-Trethowan had concerns waste would contaminate land and water outside the facility, particularly in a flood or heavy rainfall.
“It’s a major concern to me that this material will end up in our waterways,” she said.
Gerogery resident Ian Coghlan said the proposal had the potential to affect the viability of the area.
“We would have an odour, we would have a noise and we would have traffic.”