ALBURY councillor John Stuchbery has succeeded in overturning a staff recommendation for the transportation and disposal of sludge generated at the Kremur Street wastewater treatment plant.
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Cr Stuchbery likened the staff preferred scenario of Queensland company Arkwood Organic Recycling transporting biosolids to sites at Berrigan, Wagga or Gunning to failed plans to date by Cleanaway to build a compost plant for green waste.
The Arkwood option would have cost council $1.79 million, but was defeated on a 5-4 vote with mayor Kevin Mack, deputy mayor Amanda Cohn, Cr Murray King, Cr Darren Cameron backing Cr Stuchbery.
A more expensive option from Sydney firm Synergy Resource Management of $2.26 million over the three-year period was chosen.
It plans to build a fully enclosed shed at the Waterview facility where it proposes to store, dry and further stabilise the biosolid product before being re-used at several undisclosed farming sites in the region.
“My prime problem with the staff recommendation is it looks very much like the Cleanaway composting strategy of ‘let’s take our bio-solids, stick them in a truck and truck them right out of our (local government area) and become someone else’s problem,” Cr Stuchbery said.
“It hasn’t worked for composting because our so-called green waste is diesel trucked all over Victoria and NSW.
“Like our green waste this problem should be dealt with in our own LGA.”
Presently about 8124 tonnes of biosolids is generated at Waterview and after minimal treatment is transported to the waste management centre.
Council wanted to find an alternative method of managing bio-solids for environmental reasons.
Cr Henk van de Ven opposed the move.
“(Arkwood) is the most advantageous from all perspectives including value for money.”
