Environmental Management Policy

Purpose. This policy commits the site to operating within its environmental licence, minimising discharges and emissions and reporting openly to the regulator and the community.

1.Commitment

Riverside will comply with the Environment Protection Act, its operating licence and the general environmental duty. The site will prevent pollution, reduce water and energy use per tonne, and improve environmental performance year on year. Environmental performance will be reported monthly to the regulator and annually to the community.

2.Licence conditions

The operating licence sets limits for effluent flow, biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, colour and temperature at the river discharge point, for stack emissions of particulates, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and total reduced sulphur, and for odour and noise at the site boundary. Every operator must know the limits that apply to their area. Licence limits are displayed in each control room and recorded in the Environmental Discharge and Emissions Log.

3.Monitoring

Continuous monitors on the effluent outfall, the recovery boiler stack and the power boiler stack will be maintained and calibrated in accordance with the monitoring plan. Grab samples will be taken and analysed on the laboratory schedule. Monitoring results must be recorded in the log on every shift, and any reading approaching a limit must be reported to the shift supervisor immediately.

• Effluent outfall: flow, pH, temperature continuously; BOD and solids daily
• Recovery boiler stack: particulates, total reduced sulphur continuously
• Power boiler stack: opacity and sulphur dioxide continuously
• Boundary: odour patrols each shift, noise quarterly

4.Exceedances and incidents

Any exceedance of a licence limit, spill to ground or water, or uncontrolled emission is an environmental incident. The operator must take immediate action to stop or reduce the discharge, notify the shift supervisor and the HSE team, and record the incident in the Incident and Hazard Register and the Environmental Discharge and Emissions Log. The HSE Manager must notify the regulator within the time set in the licence and will lead the investigation.

5.Waste and by-products

Rejects, sludge, lime mud, fly ash and green liquor dregs will be managed under the waste management plan and only sent to approved reuse or disposal facilities. Waste transport must be recorded with the transporter, destination and quantity. Hazardous waste must be stored in bunded areas and labelled.

6.Responsibilities

The HSE Manager owns this policy, the monitoring plan and regulator reporting. Area managers must ensure their plant operates within limits and that operators are trained in their environmental duties. Every worker must report spills, unusual odours, discoloured water or smoke immediately.