Published on Friday, 16 May 2025 at 9:01:10 AM
From left to right: Dennis O'Reilly (DWER), Scott Cairns (MRC), Cr Stephanie Proud (MRC); Alistair Jones (DWER); Emily Briggs (DWER); Peter Taylor (DWER) at the recently capped western portion of the Tamala Park landfill.
The Director General of the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) has visited Tamala Park waste management facility as Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) continues to work with the regulator to address community concerns over odour.
Alistair Jones – alongside three deputy director generals from the department – joined MRC Chair Cr Stephanie Proud and MRC CEO Scott Cairns for a tour of the Tamala Park landfill site in February.
The visit was also an opportunity to observe and discuss odour management strategies at the site, as well as progress towards the capping and completion of the landfill, which is due to close in 2028/29.
Other topics of discussion included the management, extraction and treatment of landfill gas; management of surface water (including plans for wet weather over winter 2025); groundwater management and long-term future plans for the site once the landfill is completed.
Other attendees from DWER included Deputy Director General – Climate and Sustainability, Emily Briggs; Deputy Director General – Approvals, Chris Shaw; Deputy Director General – Strategy and Performance, Dennis O’Reilly and Director – Environmental Science, Peter Taylor.
The visit is part of ongoing collaboration between MRC and DWER to manage and reduce the impact of odours from the landfill on residential areas which border the site.
This includes progress against 11 items which form part of an Environmental Protection Notice (EPN) issued by DWER in November of last year. The EPN was welcomed by MRC, which has made significant progress towards its completion, noting that many of the items already formed part of the organisation’s long-term odour management planning.
The Chair of MRC - Cr Stephanie Proud - and the CEO of MRC - Scott Cairns – jointly affirmed the Council’s commitment to working with DWER on the important issue of odour management:
“Reducing the impact of odours from the landfill on nearby homes is our number one priority and the focus of all our work at Tamala Park
“We recognise the importance of being a good neighbour to those people living around the site – particularly so as the number of new developments has increased to the extent that Tamala Park is now bordered to the north, south, south east and north west by houses.
“We’re working closely with DWER to put a number of measures in place which are designed to eliminate the odours at source, and - where that isn’t possible - prevent them from leaving the site.
“We’re pleased to have had the opportunity to host the Director General and his team and to show them the extensive work which is happening on the ground.”
For more information about odour management at Tamala Park, please visit: www.mrc.wa.gov.au/odour.
ENDS
About MRC: Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) is one of Western Australia’s biggest waste management authorities, providing a comprehensive waste disposal service to local government authorities and residents in the Perth Metro Area.
For more information, visit mrc.wa.gov.au
Information for media: For enquiries relating to this release or any other questions from journalists regarding MRC, please contact communications@mrc.wa.gov.au or call 0417 252 227.
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