Cause of landfill fire near Gunnedah not yet determined

The amount of waste accepted at a landfill site west of Gunnedah remains restricted after a fire at the facility late last year.

The prevention notice was issued by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) after a fire broke out in waste cells on the site on December 15.

The prevention notice means Mary’s Mount Landfill, operated by MacKellar Resources, is able to accept waste into its Resource Recovery Facility for processing but the volumes of waste arriving must match the outgoing volumes of recovered material leaving the premises. In addition, any waste stockpiled on the premises must be covered at the end of each day.

An earlier requirement for 24-hour monitoring of waste stockpiles to ensure no further fire outbreaks, was lifted due to all affected areas being capped in clay-based material.

MacKellar Resources general manager Tim MacKellar said no cause has been determined for the fire and recent commentary suggesting it was lithium batteries was “purely speculation”. But he acknowledged incorrect battery disposal is an ongoing problem for all waste operators.

“The biggest issue all waste operators are facing is that people are disposing of lithium-ion batteries incorrectly or improperly by disposing of them in general waste streams,” Mr MacKellar said.

“People must accept personal responsibility for what they throw into their garbage bin. Given the number of fires that have been reported in council operated garbage trucks, it is clear that this is not the case.

“The challenge is further compounded by that fact that the batteries come in many different shapes and sizes making accurate checking of every waste load coming to site an impossibility, not just at our facility but at every waste facility. We check every load as it is unloaded however even with this process, there is no absolute guarantee that you will capture every battery.”

As part of its review, the company is looking at a new approach to processing waste as it arrives at site which will be part of an overall strategy to minimise any future risk of fire.

The NSW EPA said last year it was “aware” some communities were being impacted by smoke. A community-wide text message was also sent to Gunnedah residents soon after the fire started, advising people to take precautions for possible smoke from prevailing winds.

Air quality monitoring stations at Mullaley, Emerald Hill and Gunnedah have listed readings as “good” from December 19.