Minchinbury odours

The EPA has installed odour detection monitors around Eastern Creek and Minchinbury to monitor odours. The readings from these monitors are reported in the charts on this page.

January 2022

In early January 2022, odours again became an issue for Minchinbury residents. These new odours appeared to have different characteristics compared to those from Bingo’s centre last year.

Our investigation determined that green waste at SUEZ composting facility and GRL waste processing facility in the Wallgrove Rd waste precinct were the most likely sources.

We issued prevention notices to both companies, requiring that they remove the large stockpile of unprocessed organic material.

The companies were also required to have an independent odour expert identify any other odour-producing activities at the facility and to fix them.

April 2022

From mid-March there was a spike in hydrogen sulfide detections in the air-monitoring instruments set up in the area, and in community reports.

On 22 March 2022, Bingo advised that the landfill gas collection and flaring network, installed last year at its Eastern Creek Landfill waste processing centre to stop the odours, was affected by the recent heavy rains. We ensured that Bingo made their flares operational as quickly as possible .

Due to ongoing odours, on 30 March 2022 we issued Bingo a legally binding Prevention Notice. The Notice requires Bingo to undertake further urgent assessment work to identify and fix any remaining sources of landfill gas and odours. We require daily updates from Bingo, and a comprehensive report in early April.

We also instructed Bingo to commission daily independent odour surveys adjacent to the facility and in the community. Weekly updates on the results must be made on the Bingo website.

We are closely monitoring the situation. Our officers are frequently patrolling the area and regularly inspecting the Bingo landfill, taking odour surveys and collecting evidence of any potential breaches of licence conditions or environmental legislation.

Background

We identified Bingo’s Dial-a-Dump facility at Eastern Creek as a major source of odour impacting neighbours in April 2021. Measures were put in place to reduce the odour impacts on the community, including restrictions to the company’s environment protection licence.

Bingo has now installed a landfill gas extraction system and flare system to burn the gas, destroying odorous gases generated within the landfill and resulting in a reduction of odours, with less complaints made to the EPA.

Our investigation into potential breaches of legislation and licence requirements is ongoing, and regulatory action will be taken where appropriate.

Regulatory action, such as issuing fines, can take time as it requires evidence gathering that may need to be presented to a Court.

Installation of monitors

We installed seven monitors in the Minchinbury and Eastern Creek area to detect hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg gas), which has been the main odour reported by the community. Four of the monitors are in the Eastern Creek industrial area close to the landfill, three are in the Minchinbury residential area. Information from the monitors, along with odour patrols by EPA officers and odour reports from the community, help us to check that the requirements relating to potentially odorous activities such as the Bingo Dial A Dump facility are working. 

How do the monitors work?

The monitors are small (about the size of a litre carton of milk) and automatic. They take an air sample every 10 minutes and analyse it for hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg gas).

They can detect levels as low as 3 parts of hydrogen sulfide per billion parts of air (ppb), and as high as 2,000 ppb.

About half of people can smell hydrogen sulfide at a concentration of around 8 parts hydrogen sulphide per billion parts of air (ppb), but some people can smell it at 0.5 ppb while others first smell it at 300 ppb.

The monitors are connected to the existing mobile phone network, and every 12 hours they transmit the data collected to us.

The readings will be updated twice a week.

Monitor results

These charts show the concentration detected in each 10 minute sample of air collected by the seven hydrogen sulfide monitors.

 

How to read the charts

The charts are interactive and best viewed in full screen mode. Select the menu in the top right-hand corner to enter full screen mode.
Display a smaller or larger date range on the graph by using the blue range selector directly underneath the chart, or by using the Zoom buttons in the top left-hand corner.
Hover over the graphs to view more information relating to the data, for example the exact time and date of the data point.
To exit full screen mode click escape or move to the top of the screen to display and select the X.

To request historical air-monitoring data email info@epa.nsw.gov.au.

Do the odours cause health impacts?

(Information provided by NSW Health)

People can smell hydrogen sulphide (‘rotten egg’ gas) at low levels. About half of people can smell hydrogen sulfide at a concentration of around 8 parts hydrogen sulphide per billion parts of air (ppb). There is variability in this however – some people can smell it at 0.5 ppb while others first smell it at 300 ppb.

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.

People who work in some industries are at risk of exposure to higher levels of hydrogen sulphide than the general population.

Reporting odours

Community reports can play an import role in our 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 the 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555 or email info@epa.nsw.gov.au.

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