Visy Industries Australia is seeking to double the quantity of kerbside recyclable materials handled by its waste management facility at Taren Point by working through the night.
Under the proposal, the large L-shaped factory on the corner of Alexander Road and Bay Road, in an industrial zone, would receive up to 60,000 tonnes a year of recyclable materials from Sutherland Shire and other parts of Sydney. The present throughput is 30,000 tonnes.
Operations would be extended to 24-hours on weekdays and 6am to 4 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
A development application (DA) for Designated Development (high impact development) is being assessed by Sutherland Shire Council.
An environmental impact statement (EIS) said, under the proposal, the facility would operate as a resource transfer station - its current use - or materials recovery facility, or a combination of both.
"The intensity of throughput at any one time will not increase, however the period during which the facility will operate the sorting and transfer process will be extended," the DA said.
"There would be no exceedance of the waste storage limit of 1500 tonnes at any one time under the site's existing Environment Protection Licence.
"The waste will comprise of kerbside recycling collections, known as fully commingled recyclable material (FCM)."
The EIS said capacity could be increased immediately and without any works being required.
Serious damage, caused by a fire in July 2019 when a pile of non-recyclable materials ignited, had been repaired, the document said. The parts of the building used for sorting and processing machinery had been undamaged.
The EIS said the proposal would result in an additional four truck movements per hour during the AM peak and no additional truck movements during the PM peak period, resulting in a negligible increase in truck movements on the local road network.
The predicted incremental and cumulative particulate matter concentrations, dust deposition rates and odour concentrations generated by the facility would be well below the corresponding NSW EPA criteria at the relevant assessment locations, the document said.
Noise would be within prescribed limits and insignificant for the nearest homes.