Sausage factory waste a concern

By EREBIRI ZURENUOC
A FAMILY of 10 living at Zero Block are sick of the waste from a sausage factory spreading around their living area at 2-Mile in Lae.
They have been living there for 37 years. The factory opened in 2014.
The concerned father of the family, Manasseh Siviri, said he had raised the issue many times with the responsible authorities but nothing had been done until only a few days ago.
“There has been countless times of pouring liquid waste from the factory,” Siviri said.
“The liquid contains the red dye used in colouring of sausages. The waste is poured out from the factory, and when it rains, it gets worse,” he said.
“This is the area where my children used to play when there was no factory here.
“But since it was built, our children play in the area and have contracted diarrohea, just from touching and stepping on the water contaminated by waste from the factory.
“The foul smell and steam that come from the factory blow right to our living area. There is no proper drainage or sewarage system in place to store and remove waste from the factory, sometimes they open outlets through the brick walls just to let all the waste out.
The factory is owned by Wang Chan Ltd. It is the producer and distributer of Good Taste Sausages, a brand found in many Chinese-owned shops around Lae.
General manager Hui Chen said the liquid waste did not contain any poison or toxin that could harm humans.
“It is just liquid and no poison,” he said.
The National confirmed with officers from the city council’s health division that complaints had been filed.