West Footscray oilseed crushing plant Cargill Processing Ltd has agreed to undertake more than $600,000 in works to fix odour issues at its Somerville Road site.
The outcome was signed off late last month after EPA Victoria accepted what is legally referred to as an ‘Enforceable Undertaking’ which is an agreement with the environmental regulator for works to be undertaken.
The Undertaking was entered into following odour incidents at Cargill’s oilseed crushing and solvent extraction facility in May and August last year.
EPA Director of Environmental Services Chris Webb said EPA had been working with companies and residents in the Brooklyn area for some time to ensure improvements.
“This outcome is not only a testament to that work but also a public acknowledgement by Cargill it has been impacting on the local community. This is a voluntary action on behalf of Cargill, which would otherwise have seen them facing a magistrate.
Mr Webb said the Undertaking is a binding agreement designed to improve Cargill’s environmental performance and deliver benefits to the affected community the incident occurred in.
“The Cargill Undertaking includes retesting odour control systems, installing a wet scrubber (which removes pollutants), installing a new fan, undertaking quarterly audits and a range of other plant improvements,” he said.
The company recently held an Open Day, the first of a number of community-based activities they must undertake to give the community the chance to learn about the works being done to reduce odour. They will also make a $50,000 contribution to a local environment project, to be determined in consultation with community, EPA and council.
Cargill has just over three years to complete the actions in the Undertaking. Failure to comply may result in EPA seeking to enforce it in the Magistrates’ Court.