Orica : HCB waste export application

HCB waste export application

28 Jul 2016

Melbourne: Orica (ASX: ORI) today confirmed it has lodged an application with the Federal Government to export an initial shipment of 135 tonnes of Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) waste currently stockpiled at the Botany Industrial Park in Sydney for safe and permanent destruction in Finland at a facility operated by Finnish environmental management company, Ekokem.

Orica's application to the Federal Government follows an extensive review of options over a number of years.

Orica Company Secretary and Group Executive, Corporate Services, Kirsten Gray said: 'Orica is focused on finding a safe, permanent and environmentally sound solution to the HCB stockpile at Botany. We believe the current application provides an appropriate solution for the ultimate destruction of the HCB and will ensure that this legacy is not left for future generations to address.'

Ekokem is a highly experienced organisation in the safe destruction of international hazardous waste, and adheres to stringent conditions set for the protection of human health and the environment.

As Australia is a signatory to both the Basel and Stockholm Conventions, (which deal with the international protocols for the handling of toxic wastes) Orica's application complies with both Conventions and has received detailed technical and legal opinion in support of this.

Ms Gray said that the company had thoroughly assessed all viable destruction options, including whether any existed in Australia.

'There is no viable alternative destruction method available in Australia nor is there likely to be in the foreseeable future. The only other alternative is continued long term storage at Botany Industrial Park which is unsatisfactory,' she said.

A life cycle assessment conducted by GHD has found that this proposal is more environmentally sound than building a high temperature incineration (HTI) facility in Australia.

Timing of the shipment is subject to regulatory approval.

Further information is available at www.orica.com/HCB.

Facts about HCB

• HCB is categorised as a Persistent Organic Pollutant (POP) under the Stockholm Convention.
• HCB was produced as a waste by-product of now discontinued solvent manufacture at the Botany Industrial Park (BIP) between 1963 and 1991.
• There are currently 15,000 tonnes of HCB safely and securely stockpiled at the Botany Industrial Park site.
• The stockpile will continue to grow as the waste requires regular repackaging. Old, used packaging then becomes a new component of the stockpile.
• The Ekokem destruction process - high temperature incineration - is the only process for destruction proven on an industrial scale.

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