NSW Environmental Protection Agency NSW Government
 

Woodlawn Eco Precinct, Tarago

Information about our response to community complaints about odours from the Woodlawn Eco Precinct.

We are aware that the community has been experiencing ongoing odours around the Tarago area and are investigating. We appreciate that odours can be unpleasant and can impact quality of life.

We are reviewing each report of odour and requiring Veolia Environmental Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd (Veolia) to improve odour management at its Woodlawn Eco Precinct.

Our regulatory decision making is undertaken in line with our Regulatory policy.

Reporting odours

Community reports play an important role in the EPA’s investigation of odours. Important information on odours can be recorded using the fact sheet and odour log sheet (PDF 160KB).

If you are experiencing odour impacts please contact our Environment Line on 131 555

Recent regulatory action

Litter

In December 2024, the NSW EPA issued Veolia with a Clean-Up Notice to remove wind-blown plastic waste from the property neighbouring the Woodlawn Landfill (Licence No. 11436) premises. This Notice was issued following an inspection of the neighbouring property on 7 November 2024.

Find further information about the issuing of this Clean-Up Notice and variation.

Leachate dams

As of 20 November 2024 each of Veolia’s leachate dams previously at risk of an overflow event were restored to levels in compliance with their licence.

This follows the EPA issuing Veolia with a Clean-Up Notice in October 2024 after some dams used to store leachate, or wastewater, generated from their landfill operations in Tarago were confirmed to exceed storage limits set by the licence, increasing the risk of a potential offsite overflow event.

Veolia was required to undertake several actions to reduce the levels of leachate contained in their storage dams, including:

  • transport treated leachate offsite to a lawful facility
  • install temporary storage tanks onsite
  • assess the feasibility of technology to reduce treated leachate onsite.

Find further information about the issuing of this Clean-Up Notice.

In addition to the Clean-Up Notice, the EPA issued a $30,000 fine to Veolia for allegedly breaching its licence by allowing one of its dams to exceed the allowed storage capacity in August 2024.

Find further information about the issuing of this Penalty Notice.

Mechanical Biological Treatment facility

In July 2024 the EPA fined Veolia $30,000 after allegedly failing to comply with the conditions of the Environment Protection Licence covering their Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) facility in the Woodlawn Eco-Precinct in Tarago.

Tarago odours

Veolia operates three EPA licensed facilities at its Woodlawn Eco Precinct, the Woodlawn Landfill, the Woodlawn Mechanical Biological Treatment Facility and the Crisps Creek Intermodal Facility. These licences do not permit offensive odour to leave the premises.

These licences are available on the public register

We are committed to reducing the odour impacts on the community as a priority and have undertaken a range of actions including:

  • Directing Veolia to install and operate new monitoring stations for meteorology and hydrogen sulphide (rotten-egg smell) at the landfill and in Tarago. The EPA requires Veolia to publicly report these monitoring results (see below).
  • Including comprehensive landfill surface gas monitoring and public reporting conditions on their licence to assist with the continuous improvement of landfill gas management.
  • Ensuring Veolia implement additional leachate treatment plant works to increase water extraction from the landfill to improve the efficiency of the gas extraction system.
  • Directing Veolia to follow up on Annual Independent Odour Audit (a condition of the major project approval) recommendations to mitigate odours including a Landfill Gas Composition Analysis and training of staff to undertake regular odour surveys.
  • A Development Control Order (issued by DPE Planning) that requires Veolia to engage specialists to develop short, medium, and long-term leachate and water management strategies within specified timeframes.

We are working with Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to ensure that Veolia have appropriate safeguards in place to prevent offensive odours from the Woodlawn Eco Precinct and that Veolia comply with all statutory requirements in major project approvals and environment protection licences.

Where necessary we take action including issuing Penalty Notices, Prevention Notices, Warning Letters, Official Cautions and Pollution Reduction Programs for non-compliance with licence conditions. 

We encourage people who experience odours to report to the 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) monitoring

The Environment Protection Licence for the Woodlawn Landfill requires Veolia to operate an ambient air quality monitoring surveillance system to provide real-time feedback on the presence of hydrogen sulphide which has been a common type of odour reported by the Tarago community. One of three AcrulogTM monitors is located in the vicinity of the Woodlawn Landfill. Two other monitors are located in the surrounding residential areas where odours are known to occur.

The real-time data can be viewed for the Veolia Eco Precinct, Tarago Recreation Area and Tarago Showground on Veolia’s website.

How do the monitors work?

The automatic AcrulogTM monitors are about the size of a litre carton of milk. They take an air sample every 10 minutes and analyse it for hydrogen sulphide (rotten egg gas). Hydrogen sulphide is a heavier-than-air colourless gas with a rotten egg smell.

The monitors can detect levels as low as 0.003 parts of hydrogen sulphide per million parts of air (ppm), and as high as 2 ppm. About half of the population can smell hydrogen sulphide at a concentration of around 0.008 parts hydrogen sulphide per million parts of air (ppm), but some people can smell it at 0.0005 ppm while others first smell it at 0.3 ppm.

Do the odours cause health impacts?

(Information provided by NSW Health)

Exposure to these low concentrations of hydrogen sulphide may cause irritation to the eyes, nose or throat, and difficulties in breathing in people with asthma. Repeated exposures at these levels can also understandably cause anxiety and distress and result in indirect symptoms such as headaches and nausea.

These effects are likely to be minor and temporary and should stop once the air quality improves.

Hydrogen sulphide once it enters the body does not accumulate as it is rapidly processed in the liver and excreted in the urine.

If residents are concerned about their symptoms or if symptoms persist once the odours have ceased, they should seek advice from their local general practitioner.