A Visy paper mill is under fire in the local community again after a proposal to dump 15 years worth of paper waste into a former Gundagai quarry in NSW was heavily protested by residents.

Signs reading ‘No More Visy Waste’ have cropped up around the Tumut-based mill, however site developers have attempted to quell concerns by assuring protesters it is an ‘appropriate waste disposal site’ for the refuse left by Visy.

The application for the expansion states it is a ‘logical, sustainable progression to meet the needs of the area's growing paper production and recycling industry,’ but locals are concerned about the potential environmental damage.

The proposal is to dump 750,000 tonnes of waste into the Gundagai site, which is currently only licensed to take 150,000 tonnes.

The development application also says there would be similar truck movements to the current approval to take 150,000 tonnes, minimal to zero visual impact, and environmental protections would be put in place.

The Southern NSW paper mill was recently under attack from The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) for ignoring OHS guidelines and compromising the safety of its employees.

Visy has been in business for over 60 years as a multi-billion dollar supplier of recycling, paper and packaging products, and is owned by the Pratt family.

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