Close to 7000 people have signed a petition demanding the State Government abandon plans to dump toxic waste from the construction of Sydney's Northern Beaches Link project in Newcastle.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns, Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmesspoke at Middle Harbour on Wednesday to voice their opposition to the project.
"The people of Newcastle are being very clear. We do not want Sydney's toxic waste," Mr Crakanthorp said.
"This is another classic example of Sydney getting the infrastructure and Newcastle getting the waste.
"Newcastle and the Hunter has a lot of PFAS issues. We simply don't need any more PFAS particularly from another city. I'm being very clear. Newcastle is not a dumping ground for Sydney's toxic waste."
Under a Transport for NSW proposal, 12,000 cubic metres of sludge extracted from Middle Harbour would be shipped to the Port of Newcastle's Mayfield N0.4 berth.
The material which contains lead, mercury, silver, zinc, poly-fluoroaklyl substances (PFAS) and dioxins, would then be loaded onto trucks and disposed of as landfill over a four week period in 2025.
The City of Newcastle and Port of Newcastle have expressed serious concerns about the proposal, while a Mayfield community group has warned airborne toxic particles could put the health of vulnerable residents at risk.
The Port of Newcastle has not provided any assurances regarding access to or the availability of any port-controlled site for the project.
It has also stipulated that the material must not be stored at the port.
Councillor Nelmes said she was deeply concerned about the lack of consultation with the community or the council.
"There was an email from Transport for NSW that requested a meeting with our waste manager. That meeting took place in September," she said.
"Our waste manager said there are very strict EPA guidelines. [He said] What are you plans and what is in the toxic sludge?
"We have not had an upfront and clear response about what it was in the toxic sludge they want to potentially bring to Newcastle. We have had no formal consultation with the NSW government on this project."
Mr Crakanthorp tabled a Notice of Motion in Parliament on Tuesday calling for the government to abandon the project.
Mr Minns described the proposal to ship toxic waste from the Northern Beaches Link project to Newcastle as "another nail in the coffin of a project that Sydney does not want".
