News
28 October, 2025
Energy from Waste submissions to close soon
Time is running out for residents of the Goulburn-Mulwaree area wanting to have their say on a proposed Energy from Waste facility at Tarago.
Time is running out for residents of the Goulburn-Mulwaree area wanting to have their say on a proposed Energy from Waste facility at Tarago.
Submissions to the Select Committee on Proposed Energy from Waste Facilities will close on October 31.
The committee is looking at the technology behind Energy from Waste facilities as well as emissions, health and environmental impacts, regional planning implications, international best practices and alternative waste management solutions.
Committee chair Nichole Overall MLC said the inquiry had been sparked by “growing and unresolved concerns” in communities like Tarago and Parkes and would provide a forum for residents to voice any concerns about the proposed developments.
The inquiry will also consider alternative solutions for managing residual waste produced by Greater Sydney, ensuring a statewide and balanced approach.
“We absolutely need to tackle the broader issue of waste, but regional communities should not be expected to bear the burden of Sydney’s waste without adequate and transparent consultation.
“This inquiry is a chance to explore solutions that are fair, informed and inclusive,” Ms Overall said.
The committee has already received more than 80 submissions – the majority of them relating to the Parkes proposal.
One submission argues that the company behind the Tarago proposal, Veolia, had already demonstrated “poor environmental management” at its existing waste operations in Tarago and the construction of an incinerator would “further degrade our air quality, add more pollutants to the atmosphere and increase health risks for the people of Tarago”.
Another submission accuses Veolia of misleading the community or ‘greenwashing’ by promoting the proposed facility as a clean and sustainable energy solution.
It says waste incineration is not environmentally friendly because it generates toxins and greenhouse gases while discouraging genuine recycling efforts.
Woodhouselee resident Ian Anderson described incineration as a ‘lazy’ solution because it discourages recycling and waste reduction.
He said Sydney’s failure to plan for waste shouldn’t become a rural concern.
Mr Anderson accused Veolia of demonstrating disregard for EPA standards given that it has received a number of official cautions, prevention notices, penalty notices and clean up notices in recent years in relation to its Woodlawn Eco Precinct.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council used its submission to reaffirm its “strong and consistent opposition” to the proposed Tarago facility.
“QPRC has consistently resolved that the health, environment and social impacts of this facility would impose an unacceptable burden on our community and that the project is inconsistent with responsible waste management, the NSW Waste Hierarchy and Circular Economy principles.”
Goulburn-Mulwaree Council has also drafted a submission.
It says it resolved its “total opposition” to Energy from Waste within the Goulburn-Mulwaree LGA on September 22, 2021 and subsequently reaffirmed that position on March 15, 2022.
It resolved to formally object to the Veolia proposal at an extraordinary meeting on November 29, 2022.
The Veolia proposal would see an ‘Advanced Energy Recovery Centre’ built at its Woodlawn Eco Precicnt. Veolia says it would use state-of-the-art technology to convert waste that can’t be recycled into electricity.
It says it would create hundreds of jobs and would drive economic growth.
Veolia says the facility would be an important part of the emerging circular economy, helping to divert waste from landfill and reduce carbon emissions.
The NSW Waste and Sustainable Material Strategy 2041 – released in 2021 – identified the need for at least four Energy from Waste facilities in NSW by 2041.
Under the Energy from Waste Infrastructure Plan, any Energy from Waste facility must be located within one of four designated precincts: the Southern Goulburn Mulwaree Precinct (Woodlawn), West Lithgow/Wallerawang Precinct, Parkes Special Activation Project or the Richmond Valley Regional Jobs Precinct.
The infrastructure plan notes the Southern Goulburn Mulwaree Precinct and associated infrastructure is co-located and integrated with other resource recovery, waste management and renewable energy generation and has existing infrastructure in place to import waste from Sydney and other regional locations.
A report prepared for council’s September 21, 2021 meeting said council had not been consulted in relation to the infrastructure plan and there was “considerable disquiet” in the Tarago and Lake Bathurst district about Woodlawn’s inclusion.
Communities Against The Tarago Incinerator (CATTI) Inc is urging local residents to lodge a submission before the October 31 deadline and to make their voices heard.
“While multi-national corporations like Veolia have the ear of government ministers and direct access to decision makers, our community’s only leverage is through opportunities such as this inquiry to make (it) clear there is no place for burning Sydney’s rubbish in our region,” the group says on its website, notaragoincinerator.com
It says every submission will help demonstrate “the depth and breadth of opposition to incinerators, particularly in regional areas like ours where people rely on tank water, grow food and live close to the proposed site”.
CATTI says it ‘unequivocally rejects’ any attempt to legitimise waste incineration as a solution to the state’s waste management issues and further rejects the premise that energy from waste incineration represents a safe, sustainable or equitable way forward.
To make a submission to the Select Committee, visit parliament.nsw.gov.au and look for Select Committee on Proposed Energy from Waste Facilities under ‘Committees’.
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