Hanson Australia are a major construction materials provider. Image: Hanson Australia Facebook
Hanson Australia is attempting to add a waste concrete and recycled glass facility to its Bass Point Quarry to create recycled aggregate.
The company, part of the Heidelberg Cement group, lodged the major project application recently to create a new stream of resources for the building and construction industry.
The plans would see concrete waste imported from batching plants run by Hanson and its subsidiaries, as well as glass sourced from third parties. According to the applicant, the importation would not increase the transport numbers.
The documents stated, “The proposed modification will occur within the existing quarry operational footprint and will not result in any new environmental impacts. In particular, the proposed modification will not increase truck movements and is not considered likely to generate additional noise or dust emissions.”
Bass Point Quarry received major project approval in 2014. This decision consolidated the previous seven consents for the site and extended its timeframe for 30 years. The 2014 decision increased the maximum excavation to four million tonnes (three million transported by road and one million to be shipped).
Aerial Photo of Quarry Site, showing location of existing processing area (shaded in red) and proposed
recycling area (yellow star). Image: Hanson Australia application
The newest application would be the fifth modification of the Major Projects approval. If approved, the new facility would process up to 160,000 tonnes of concrete waste and up to 40,000 tonnes of recycled glass per annum. The new plant and equipment would include one power screen, one mobile concrete crusher, one front-end loader, and one excavator.
Hanson’s Community Consultative Committee, which includes one Shellharbour Council member and four local community members, was “generally supportive” of the concept when it was put to them late last year.
According to Hanson’s application documents, the proposal is “in the public interest”.
The documents stated that “the project would result in a range of benefits for the local and regional economies, including continued permanent employment for more than 70 people.”
“The project would allow the quarry to continue to be an important supplier of construction materials for the regional and Sydney markets for at least the next 30 years, and reduce the need to develop alternative resources in areas that may not have the advantages of the Bass Point Quarry.”
However, Shellharbour City Council and the NSW Environmental Protection Authority are requesting further information about the project.
Hanson’s Bass Point Quarry. Image: Hanson, modification report PA 08_0143.
Shellharbour, which controls the area where the quarry is situated, wants to know the aggregate suppliers in greater detail.
“Generally, the proposed aggregate recycling modification is anticipated to make contributions toward the circular economy, resulting in positive economic and environmental impacts,” the council stated in its submission.
“However, there are numerous matters required to be addressed within the proponent’s proposal.”
The council is seeking information on the locations, subsidiaries, and third parties that would contribute to Hanson’s project. The council also wants, among other things, greater consideration of the new facility’s traffic impact and updates to the application’s transport management plan.
The EPA has submitted several suggestions for Hanson’s report across water, air and waste to provide greater detail on its management of these areas with the new facility.
The EPA’s submission read, “The EPA’s key environmental issues are water quality management and odour and the associated adequacy of the SWMP and AQMP.”
“Additional information relating to these documents is required by the EPA to enable a proper assessment of the proposal.”
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