Stopping the stink

By Melissa Meehan
IT’S the stench that’s stuck.
Residents and visitors alike are tired of the stinky stench wafting over Pakenham, and Cardinia Shire councillor Collin Ross says it’s time it’s stopped.
He said while the council was working with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) it was time to rectify the issue.
“We’ve got to set about it and stop the stench,” he said.
“We believe the smell could possibly be coming out of the organic recycling plant or the livestock agent saleyard but something needs to be done.”
Cr Ross said that council and the EPA were looking at what these businesses could do to reduce the smell in town and surrounding areas.
“We need to reduce the smell – at worse,” he said.
“It is just horrendous and needs to stop.
“It reflects poorly on our town and the new residents that live here. We shouldn’t have to put up with smells like this.”
Council spokesman Paul Dunlop said the Cardinia Shire Council and the EPA had been in discussions with Transpacific Waste Management about the odour that hds been emanating from Pakenham area for some time.
“Council and the EPA have been working together in implementing actions involving Transpacific Waste Management to address a variety of conditions such as the moisture of the content and the height of compost,” he said.
The matter has also been taken to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), while no hearing date has been confirmed the application was received on 31 May 2010.