Latest news with #BlayneyShireCouncil
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Ratepayers will likely cover PFAS contamination costs, Blayney mayor says
A New South Wales mayor says forcing councils to clean up PFAS contamination at landfill sites is "completely at odds with the 'polluter pays' principle". Last year the Belubula River, which flows through the Central West region, was found to be tainted by PFAS chemicals. Blayney Shire Council's landfill sits above a tributary to the river and studies by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) show the site is a source of PFAS contamination in the Belubula. In March the EPA told the council it would have to pay to fix the problem. "We're being charged to remove contamination for what is still a legal product here in Australia," Mayor Bruce Reynolds said. Waste facilities are known to be a significant secondary source of PFAS, which is a family of about 15,000 chemicals with heat-resistant, non-stick and waterproof properties. They can take hundreds of years to break down and are highly mobile in the environment. The cost of onsite treatment at the Blayney tip, which has been operating for 100 years, has been estimated at more than $400,000 and the cost of ongoing investigation and monitoring estimated at more than $110,000. The council has also been forced to stop using a part of the landfill that has an unlined cell. It estimates the cost of bringing the infrastructure up to EPA standards could exceed $1 million. "We may be the pioneers — others may have to follow," Cr Reynolds said. The council has flagged that it may hike garbage rates by 10 per cent and increase its waste levy by 16 per cent in 2026. In a statement the EPA said it was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring at all landfill sites in NSW. "Landfills have been recognised as a secondary source of PFAS in the environment, though modern engineered landfills minimise the risk of a range of contaminants impacting surrounding environments," a spokesperson said. The authority said it had been working closely with Blayney council since December 2023 to better manage leachate migration from the site and was assessing three grant applications. PFAS has been a concern for the Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR), which represents multi-nationals, small businesses and local governments. In its submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into PFAS Contamination in Waterways and Drinking Water Supplies, the peak body said the industry could be forced to deal with an issue it did not create. The WMRR described the Commonwealth's move to ban the import, export, use and manufacture of three types of PFAS from 1 July 2025 as "too little, too late". "The ban should be on all types of PFAS, otherwise the government will simply be playing catch up as companies switch to other types of PFAS," its submission reads. "The EU moved to ban PFAS years ago, with the United States introducing tougher drinking water standards and moving to eliminate it from food supply." This week the Australian Bureau of Statistics released a national baseline for PFAS levels in blood and found three types of PFAS were detected in more than 85 per cent of the population. The dataset was created to track PFAS levels over time and to support research into its potential impacts on human health. The ABS noted that there was "an association between higher PFAS levels and some abnormally high chronic disease biomarkers", but said the finding did not confirm a direct cause.
The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Health
- The Advertiser
Residents forced to pay for 'forever chemicals' clean-up at local rubbish tip
Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia. But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes. Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27. Levels were higher in older people and in males. But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents. Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored. In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year. The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said. And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price. "Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission. "It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years." Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle". He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW. "The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said. Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission. But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS. It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said. In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW. Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag. "The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote. NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products. "I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said. "PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage." Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025. "Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said. "In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do." The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025. Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia. But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes. Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27. Levels were higher in older people and in males. But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents. Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored. In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year. The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said. And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price. "Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission. "It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years." Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle". He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW. "The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said. Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission. But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS. It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said. In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW. Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag. "The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote. NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products. "I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said. "PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage." Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025. "Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said. "In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do." The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025. Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia. But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes. Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27. Levels were higher in older people and in males. But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents. Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored. In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year. The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said. And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price. "Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission. "It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years." Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle". He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW. "The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said. Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission. But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS. It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said. In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW. Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag. "The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote. NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products. "I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said. "PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage." Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025. "Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said. "In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do." The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025. Ratepayers and communities could be forced to pay for the clean up of their local tips, or build new ones, to prevent PFAS "forever chemicals" leaching into waterways, a rural council has warned. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) include about 4000 chemicals used in a vast array of everyday products, most infamously fire-fighting foam - a practice now being banned in Australia. But they are also found in some cosmetics, sunscreen, dental floss, non-stick cookware, insecticides, packaging, industrial sticky tapes, as well as stain and water protection in carpets, furniture and clothes. Three types of PFAS have been detected in the blood of more than 85 per cent of Australians aged over 12, the Australian Bureau of Statistics found in new data released on May 27. Levels were higher in older people and in males. But one rural council says authorities are foisting the clean up, monitoring and management of PFAS in waste onto local governments - and, therefore, residents. Blayney Shire Council's local tip in the NSW Central West has been operating for about 100 years and PFAS has been found in landfill as well as a nearby community water bore used for livestock during drought - at levels above those acceptable to the state Environment Protection Authority (EPA). The bore is temporarily closed and some landfilling paused while levels are monitored. In a late submission to a PFAS contamination parliamentary inquiry, the council said an initial investigation into the issue would cost $90,000, while ongoing monitoring would be at least $20,000 per year. The bill for on-site treatment of run-off from the tip to remove PFAS would be more than $400,000, Blayney mayor Bruce Reynolds said. And ratepayers would ultimately pay the price. "Council has now been forced in its 2025-2026 operational plan to increase charges on domestic waste consumers by approximately 22 per cent," he said in the submission. "It seems unreasonable that a small rural council operating a very small landfill must pay the price for what is a societal issue that has existed in excess of 50 years." Mr Reynolds said this was "completely at odds with the polluter pays principle". He described the approach as a "perverse outcome" that should be addressed by government while it considered the wider impact on councils and residents across NSW. "The impacts of allowing the products to be used for decades should not be borne by small communities," he said. Landfilling has been temporarily suspended at part of the Blayney site and the EPA was pushing to have it permanently closed, Mr Reynolds wrote in his submission. But the EPA said the new environment protection licence conditions imposed on Blayney were not related just to PFAS. It was "requiring the council to undertake detailed investigations to assess potential on and offsite impacts of a variety of pollutants, including PFAS", a spokesperson for the authority said. In fact, the EPA was looking at introducing PFAS monitoring to all landfill licences across NSW. Mr Reynolds said a new landfill site built to modern standards in Blayney could come with a $1 million price tag. "The burden placed on small councils operating landfills in dealing with a product that is still common in society is quite disproportionate and flies in the face of the polluter pays principle," he wrote. NSW Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, who is chairing the inquiry into PFAS contamination, said she was not surprised councils and utilities were asking for help to phase out PFAS in household products. "I think this going to be huge, to be honest, in terms of the PFAS in sewage as well as landfill," she said. "PFAS is in so many products and is, therefore, making its way into landfill and down our toilets and into sewage." Places like Minnesota in the USA had banned certain household goods containing PFAS, such as packaging, cosmetics and baby products, from the beginning of 2025. "Councils are right to be concerned about the cost," Ms Faehrmann said. "In the short term it's very difficult to work out what to do." The NSW parliamentary inquiry is due to report by August 20, 2025.
