Whether it’s the potential harm to water quality or causing respiratory illnesses like asthma, residents of the South West region are raising their voices in concern. They worry that compost from kerbside food organics and garden organics (FOGO) waste will be contaminated with harmful substances. Nick Edwards, a spokesperson for the Bunbury-Harvey Regional Council (BHRC), told the ABC that contaminated FOGO waste has skyrocketed in recent years. Perhaps no issue has been more immediately urgent for the community.
For over a decade, BHRC has processed waste from more than 40,000 households in the region, transforming it into compost. As our local hero Lionel Machen reported back from our friendly neighborhood compost site, plastic contamination of the resulting compost has been dangerous to discover. Machen began to find bigger things at play in the compost he purchased from BHRC. Among them, a plastic toy lion and a roll of sticky tape.
Edwards said it is very rare to find such large pieces of waste in the sifted compost pile. He agreed that BHRC’s facility has been struggling to keep pace with the growing amounts of contaminated waste. The council is now considering moving to a new covered, enclosed operation on an adjacent site to provide better processing facilities.
Issues with Waste Management
The rapidly accumulating pile of polluted FOGO trash raised alarm bells. These questions from fellow BHRC processors aim to understand the efficacy of the processing method currently used at BHRC. Edwards said the waste is first sorted by hand before being run through an 8-millimeter screen.
At the same public meeting, resident Lionel Machen shared his trepidation over the BHRC’s decontamination efforts. He pointed out that the sight of larger plastic waste means that these steps are not enough.
“Are we poisoning our own families with this sort of stuff? I don’t know.” – Mr. Machen
In 2016, BHRC fought off a number of Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER)-proposed composting standards. One regulation mandated that all organic processing facilities operate within enclosed structures. This important measure protects communities from water contamination and lessens harmful methane pollution. Yet, as recently as 2023, BHRC has been cited for hazardous composting violations endangering local waterways.
As DWER later disclosed, unsatisfactory disposal practices adopted at the individual household level had probably contaminated the FOGO waste. Plastics were loaded into green bins from the start before the waste even arrived at BHRC’s material recovery facility.
Health Risks and Environmental Concerns
Community members are right to be concerned about the risks of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) contamination in compost. Jill Cross, of the Dardanup Environmental Action Group, expressed the concerns felt by many residents.
“It will blow on people’s roofs, into their water tanks.” – Jill Cross
Cross was especially keen to highlight that contamination can go beyond the scope of single properties. It would pollute farmland and potentially even contaminate the town’s water supply.
“It will be in the dust which will blow onto agricultural land and into Dardanup town site.” – Jill Cross
Pros and manufacturing experts are now raising the alarm about PFAS exposure through Garden State-purchased contaminated compost. Concern for human health According to Professor Tasker, there is more than enough evidence to suggest that long-term health risks exist due to PFAS accumulating in human bodies. He warned against using that kind of compost for vegetable or food production if contamination is detectable.
“If the levels are high enough to be detected, I don’t think that compost should be used for growing vegetables or food.” – Professor Tasker
Moving Forward
As BHRC goes its own way through these weeds, it’s still working with DWER to bring the offending establishments into compliance. A few of those requirements were fulfilled by the statutory deadline. The council remains laser-focused on doing everything possible to fulfill standards, high standards, that are required to protect the public.
Nick Edwards offered advice to the community on how they can avoid making contamination a problem again in the future. He personally pleaded with residents to only compost organic materials to avoid sabotaging the program. He advised strictly adhering to the rule of excluding anything that didn’t come from a plant or animal into their compost bins.
“If people want to help us with PFAS then I encourage them stick to organic matter. If it hasn’t come from a plant or an animal don’t put it in your compost bin, that is very important.” – Nick Edwards
