Dandenong South waste-to-energy plant proposal lands in VCAT
A proposed application for a waste-to-energy facility in Dandenong South that thousands of neighbours fear will cause toxic gases and pollution has been taken to the state’s peak planning tribunal.
South East
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A proposed waste-to-energy plant in Dandenong South has angered thousands of neighbours who fear it will cause toxic gases and pollution.
And VCAT is set to rule on the future of the project within days after the council knocked back the application in May after it received more than 300 objections.
Locals feared the plant’s potential harm to human health, being within 1.5km of a school and traffic congestion.
The hearing began on Tuesday, with Greater Dandenong Council’s legal team arguing strongly the tribunal should not issue a planning permit.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a works approval for the site on July 21.
“If planning approvals are granted by Greater Dandenong Council, GSWT will need to apply for an EPA licence,” the EPA said in a statement.
The $15 million Great Southern Waste Technologies plant at 70 Ordish Rd is proposed to incinerate an annual 100,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste otherwise bound for landfill.
More than 1700 residents have signed a petition opposing the development.
The plant features a 55m smoke stack and is designed for no stockpiling of waste on-site.
The site is in an industrial 2 zone and at least 1.5km from residential areas.
South East Environmental Group president Ramy El-Sukkari said he was “extremely concerned” about the plant producing toxic pollution.
“The plant has the potential to release gas and flying ashes and there will be an immediate impact to neighbours living within a 10km radius including residents in Casey,” Mr El-Sukkari said.
“We fear our area will become a toxic dumping ground and it’s really concerning,” he said.
Greater Dandenong Councillor Maria Sampey said the waste plant would be a “serious danger” to the community.
“It’s dangerous to bury fly ash in a regular municipal landfill. A specialist hazardous waste landfill is required, which is almost 10 times more costly than a municipal landfill,” Cr Sampey said.
In a report tabled in May, the council stated it would not support the application due to “the environmental impacts and harm to human health resulting from air emissions from the facility”.
The VCAT hearing will conclude on Thursday.
Great Southern Waste Technologies chief operating officer Bill Keating said the community could take comfort as the project would not have achieved the environmental approval status it has, without progressing through the extremely rigorous and challenging benchmarks set by the state environmental regulator.
“Waste in landfill is the least preferable option for managing waste,” Mr Keating said.
“We believe the community deserves a better waste management solution that reduces the impacts associated with landfill. Better outcomes for CO2, Odour, groundwater contamination and resource utilisation.”
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