Residents from the NSW central west have slammed a proposal to build a nuclear waste dump nearby.
Sallys Flat, north of Bathurst, is one of six sites shortlisted by the federal government to store low to intermediate waste.
"We think it is preposterous to be proposing a nuclear waste dump in the middle of three major rural cities," head of Bathurst Climate Action Tracey Carpenter told AAP.
"The actual site is questionable because it is an area that has been heavily undermined, so just from an environmental perspective is seems entirely dubious."
Australia has the equivalent of around two Olympic-sized swimming pools of such waste.
Ms Carpenter said the community was "appalled".
"There will be quite a big community outcry and lobby to try and stop it."
Luke Sciberras has been living in Hill End, the closest town to the proposed waste dump, for 15 years.
"I chose to live here because it is a healthy lifestyle," he said.
"I am not interested in having nuclear waste held in vast quantities in a vicinity where I believe thousands of people like to live in a healthy existence."
The six sites shortlisted were chosen from 28 voluntarily nominated sites across Australia and will be whittled down to one or two next year following community consultation.
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