Environment Protection Authority slaps new ban on troubled SKM recycling facility in Laverton North

A major recycling facility in Melbourne’s west has been shut down for the second time this year, potentially reigniting the waste crisis that forced councils to dump recycled materials in landfill.

A major waste facility has been shut down for the second time this year, potentially reigniting the crisis that forced councils to dump recycled materials into landfill.

The controversial SKM plant in Laverton North will be banned from accepting any more waste materials from tomorrow after a fire ignited on Monday night.

Acting Environment Protection Authority chief Paul Stacchino told the Herald Sun that “enough is enough” after SKM ignored a notice to reduce its waste stockpiles, instead allowing them to increase before the blaze.

Waste stockpiles at SKM’s Laverton North site in 2017. Picture: David Crosling

The Laverton North plant and SKM’s Coolaroo facility — the scene of a huge fire in 2017 — were shut down for about a month earlier this year, sparking a recycling nightmare for local councils.

The Herald Sun can reveal 22,000 tonnes of recyclable material from kerbside collections was sent to landfill as a result of the closure.

It is unclear how long the Laverton North will now be out of action, and Mr Stacchino said SKM had until next Wednesday to reduce stockpiles at Coolaroo — or it would be shut down too.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the government would work with councils to ensure “the least possible disruption to residents”.

“SKM has had every opportunity to get their act together and have failed time and time again,” she said.

“We’ve seen another fire at one of their sites this week, showing these cowboys have not learnt their lesson and continue to put the community at risk.”

The EPA issued notices to SKM on June 19 to demand it reduce its waste stockpiles within a fortnight, and then granted an extension to July 17.

Mr Stacchino said the Coolaroo and Laverton North plants had been subjected to more than 60 inspections, including on Monday this week in the hours before the fire in a processing machine.

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He said “significant stockpiles” were observed at Laverton North, prompting the decision to ban it from accepting new materials.

“It actually puts at risk the community, firefighters, employees of the company, and we take that very seriously,” he said.

It comes as Bradbury Industrial Services — the owner of an industrial site in Campbellfield which was engulfed in a separate catastrophic blaze earlier this year — was placed into administration on Wednesday.

The collapse sparked fears taxpayers could be hit with the clean-up bill for the site.

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