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Third Cleanaway recycling plant hit by fire in three months, as Dardanup-based facility damaged

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Caitlyn RintoulThe West Australian
The sign for Cleanaway's Dardanup Waste Management Facility.
Camera IconThe sign for Cleanaway's Dardanup Waste Management Facility. Credit: File image/File image

A third Cleanaway facility has been damaged fire in three months, with a blaze sparking in the company’s Dardanup-based business on Monday evening.

The fire at the Banksia Road plant was deemed hazardous this evening due to the material on site, with several local Bush Fire Brigades called to the scene about 7.30pm.

Shire of Dardanup Chief Bushfire Control Officer Chris Hynes said a local resident had alerted crew after spotting flames on a structure at the site.

“There’s a bit of smoke in the area still but that should dissipate once the crew covers it,” he said.

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About an hour after the fire was reported, a smoke alert was issued for people on or near Banksia Road, DiPizzani Road and Ferguson Road and surrounding areas.

Motorists were advised to take care when driving through the area, to watch for emergency services personnel and follow their directions.

People with a respiratory condition were urged to contact local doctor or call Health Direct on 1800 022 222 if they were affected by smoke.

Dardanup Central Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade Brendan Putt said the extent of the damage and cause of the blaze was unknown.

The fire is the second at the facility in the last two weeks, with a blaze burning in one of the disposal dumps on January 12.

The site, south-east of Bunbury, has been operated since 1999, with Cleanaway taking over operations in 2006.

The landfill site also offers a solid waste management services and sits just south of the Shire of Dardanup Waste Transfer Station and Recycle Tip Shop.

In November last year, Cleanaway’s Perth Material Recovery Facility was destroyed by a fire.

The $20 million South Guildford-based recycling plan, which is the biggest in the southern hemisphere, has been out of operation ever since.

The facility received recycling from 20 WA councils, many of whom have been forced to divert the material to landfill while the plant is out of operation.

Recyclable material stored on that site caught alight again in late December, causing firefighters to rush to the facility for the second time in as many months.

Earlier this month, the company’s Kwinana-based recycling plant went up in flames causing toxic smoke to billow across Perth’s southern suburbs.

Cleanaway told The West Australian at the time that the section of the recycling plant that caught fire contained chemical materials including batteries.

Cleanaway has been contacted for comment.

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