Parkes Clean Future Alliance

The Parkes Clean Future Alliance is a community group of local professionals, farmers, and business owners, united by a commitment to safeguard the future of our region.
Our stance is not anti-Council or anti-development, rather it is pro community health and safety, and protective of the environment, of culturally significant areas, and of the strong food and agriculture industries that operate in our region.

DID YOU KNOW?

There are plans to burn 600,000 tonnes of Sydney’s waste each year at an Energy-from-Waste incinerator in Parkes?
The NSW Government has approved our region as one of only four places in the entire state where large-scale Energy-from-Waste (EfW) incinerators can be built, facilities considered by the NSW EPA as too risky for Sydney. We believe our community deserves the same protection.
What’s Planned for Parkes?
A proposal is currently underway to build a massive Energy-from-Waste incinerator in the Parkes Special Activation Precinct. The project is being promoted as a solution to Sydney's landfill waste problem, yet the health and environmental risks are being offloaded onto our regional community.
VIEW TIMELINE
What is an Energy-from-Waste Incinerator?
Energy-from-Waste (EfW) incinerators burn rubbish at extremely high temperatures to generate electricity. While this may sound efficient, the reality is far more complex. Energy-from-Waste technologies can be divided into two categories:
  • Thermal technologies: burns waste and destroys the resource permanently. This is incineration.
  • Cool technologies: treats waste while extracting energy without destroying the resource or creating toxic emissions (includes composting and anaerobic digestion).
There are different types of incinerators, such as mass burn incinerators, pyrolysis incinerators, gasification incinerators, and plasma arc incinerators, each with its own thermal process. All of these technologies have been defined as waste incinerators by the US EPA and the European Union.
The NSW EPA’s broad ‘thermal’ classification ensures all forms of waste incineration are regulated under the same scrutiny, and facilities can’t rebrand incineration as “energy recovery”, “advanced waste treatment,” or “resource recovery” to avoid environmental safeguards.
Globally, many countries are now scaling back or banning Energy-from-Waste incinerators due to their transition to waste reduction and recycling, and the long-term health, environmental, and climate impacts.
  • These facilities produce toxic air pollutants, including dioxins, heavy metals, PFAS and fine particulate matter, which are linked cancer, impacts on the reproductive system, hormone disruption, immune system problems, birth defects and developmental problems.
  • They generate large volumes of hazardous ash that must still be disposed of.
  • They have long contracts of 30-40 years which undermine circular economy goals by requiring long term waste generation instead of a transition to landfill waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

Why are we concerned?

Double Standards
The NSW Government’s own regulation states that Energy-from-Waste incinerators are not suitable for Sydney due to health and environmental risks. The NSW EPA ban on Energy-from-Waste in NSW uses the “precautionary principle” of prohibiting Energy-from-Waste “where there is a greater risk of harm to human health due to proximity to high population areas (now and in the future)”. Yet those same risks are apparently acceptable for regional towns like Parkes.
The regulation is not equitable. The risk thresholds are being selectively applied based on geography rather than objective health criteria. Placing such a project in Regional NSW, does not eliminate the risk, it just redirects the risk to a population perceived to be of lesser value, visibility and political power.
Health Risks
Energy-from-Waste production generates toxic byproducts, including both air and ash emissions of toxic gases, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants (POP’s) like dioxins and furans. Some forever chemicals (PFAS) are resistant to high temperatures and are also emitted. These pollutants can travel long distances, posing a risk to human health, agriculture and the environment. Australia’s commitment to the Stockholm Convention emphasises the need to minimise such emissions.
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Insufficient Testing
World’s best practice emissions testing does not require continuous monitoring of toxic heavy metals, PFAS, and persistent organic pollutants (POP’s) like dioxins and furans. Biomonitoring studies around the world have shown contamination in the environment and agriculture around Energy-from-Waste incinerators.
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Poor Consultation
Despite the significant risks, local residents were not properly consulted during the Parkes Special Activation Precinct planning in 2019, which included plans for the Energy-from-Waste incinerator, or during the NSW EPA Energy-from-Waste framework review that made Parkes exempt to the Energy-from-Waste ban in NSW. Many in Parkes first heard about the project in 2025 after key decisions had already been made. The process has lacked transparency, community involvement, and respect for social license.
500km from Waste Source
The NSW EPA seeks to “maximise efficiencies in infrastructure, waste management, innovation and energy recovery”. Yet Energy-from-Waste is banned in Sydney and designated appropriate in Parkes, over 500km by rail (via Cootamundra) from the intended fuel source (Sydney’s landfill waste). This is not efficient waste management due to unessesary transportation costs and emissions.
Waste contracts can also change in the future. Overseas, Energy-from-Waste facilities have been forced to import waste from other countries to remain operational.
Environmental Damage & Culturally Significant Areas
Energy-from-Waste incinerators contribute to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and produce ash laden with harmful chemicals. Locating one near culturally significant areas and farming communities threatens not only biodiversity and soil quality but also the reputation of our regional produce.
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Burning Waste isn’t Clean or Green
Thermal EfW production is not an efficient or renewable method of electricity production when using finite resources as fuel (like plastic which is made from coal, natural gas and crude oil). Compared to other energy sources, waste incineration yields relatively low energy output while emitting higher levels of greenhouse gases, undermining efforts to combat climate change. The electricity that will be created by the project is being promoted as powering 80,000 homes each year, however, the energy created will not be used to power homes, it will be used in the Special Activation Precinct to attract other 'hard-to-place' industry.
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Better Alternatives
Methods such as composting and anaerobic digestion offer environmentally friendly alternatives to manage waste, producing energy without the harmful emissions associated with incineration.
Global Transition Away from EfW
EfW production requires waste to be generated so that it can be used as a fuel source, using a linear, ‘take, make, dispose’ economic model. This destroys valuable resources and their embodied energy, and undermines efforts to move to a circular ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ economy.
Countries like Wales have phased out large scale Energy-from-Waste facilities in their transition to a circular economy, as projections show that they will not generate enough waste to keep them operational throughout their operation life as they reach waste reduction and recycling targets.
Energy-from-Waste incinerators have long contracts of 30-40 years. This commitment to waste production for fuel undermines the Australian Government’s, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water ‘Australia’s Circular Economy Framework’ goals of reducing landfill waste.
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Precautionary Workforce Departure
The facility is being promoted as providing only 50 long term jobs for our community, while 54 farmers, 42 healthcare workers, and 32 educators have stated they will take the precautionary step of moving away from Parkes if the proposed Energy-from-Waste incinerator is approved.
Workforce confirmed as leaving per preliminary survey, 26th April 2025.
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community Q&A Event

Our first event, hosted by Mike Whitney, Toxics Free Australia Chair, Jane Bremmer and Chemical Engineer, Chris Hanson, where they discussed Energy-from-Waste incineration followed by a live Q&A. Recorded - Tuesday, 29th April 2025
LINKS FROM THE EVENT

HAVE YOU SIGNED THE PETITION?

Please sign this petition to express to Council and State Government that you do not support the development of the Parkes ‘Energy-from-Waste’ facility.
SIGN NOW!

PCFA FUNDRAISER

To raise awareness and make our voices heard, we need your support. Funds raised will help cover:
  • Community signage
  • Advertising in media
  • Printing flyers and educational resources
  • Hosting community info sessions and outreach
  • Other expenses related to these awareness efforts
  • Professional services for formal/legal objections
  • Independant scientific reviews/studies
Every dollar helps us push back against a project that prioritises profit over health, agriculture and the environment.
DONATE

PARKES IN THE NEWS

SKY NEWS REGIONAL , JAYNIE SEAL, INTERVIEWS TOXICs FREE AUSTRALIA CHAIR, JANE BREMMER
Jane Bremmer has worked for environmental health and justice for more than 25 years and was instrumental in creating WA's Contaminated Sites Act. On behalf of Toxics Free Australia, Jane works collaboratively with the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) representing more than 700 public interest NGOS globally – working for a toxics free future at the highest level with the International Stockholm, Rotterdam and Basel conventions and other international conventions aimed at protecting our environment and human health from chemicals, waste and pollution.

important LINKS

The problems with EfW incineration being portrayed as environmentally friendly and the potential impacts on human health and environment of the use of such technologies.
Areas surrounding Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities in Spain, France and The Netherlands have been chemically contaminated, according to a study.
Incineration Processes and Environmental Releases
Incineration is a waste treatment technology that involves burning commercial, residential and hazardous waste at high temperatures.
Case Studies of Gasification, Pyrolysis, and Plasma in Europe, Asia, and the United States
Questions to ask when evaluating Wast-to-Energy incinerator project or proposal
Incinerator companies have done a great job green washing their true impacts on communities...
Dioxins are environmental pollutants. They belong to the so-called dirty dozen – a group of dangerous chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

BE LOUD PARKES!

We have a range of awareness material, clothing, signage etc. for the Parkes community to show their opposition of the proposed Parkes Energy-from-Waste incinerator.
CLOTHING & AWARENESS
NOTE: The NSW Government have banned Energy-from-Waste in Sydney due to health risks but have stated that Energy-from-Waste in Regional NSW is necessary to solve Sydney's landfill problem. This is not a solution being presented to deal with our own landfill waste. Regional NSW is being discriminated against due to air quality and population density. The risk thresholds are being selectively applied based on geography rather than objective health criteria. Highlighting this issue in no way means we want to see incinerators in Sydney.

About Us

Our members bring qualifications and expertise across education, environmental science, compliance, business, commerce, transport and logistics, finance, engineering, agriculture and law. We are proud to draw on this collective experience to undertake the due diligence that our community deserves — thoroughly investigating the health, agricultural, environmental, and economic risks associated with the proposed Energy-from-Waste facility.
Our work is driven by evidence, not bias, and our goal is simple: A clean, safe, and prosperous future for Parkes and the Central West.
We stand for transparency, genuine community consultation, and sustainable growth — and we will continue working in the best interests of the people who call this region home.

CONTACT US

Parkes Clean Future Alliance respectfully acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
© 2025 Parkes Clean Future Alliance Inc. All rights reserved.