Melbourne warehouses filled with mountains of waste following SKM collapse

Warehouses in Melbourne are packed to the rafters with enough rubbish to fill three container ships following the collapse of recycling giant SKM. Watch exclusive footage detailing the shocking waste stockpile landlords are being left to look after.

Enough rubbish to fill three container ships is piled to the rafters in Melbourne warehouses after the collapse of ­recycling giant SKM.

The Sunday Herald Sun has obtained shocking video of the waste stockpile left for landlords to look after.

It comes as hopes emerge the troubled company may be able to start trading again, if it agrees to toe the line with Victoria’s environmental watchdog.

Shocking amounts of waste has been left in Melbourne warehouses.

The piles have been onset by the collapse of SKM Recycling.

Receivers KPMG said ­“options available to recommence trading of the SKM Group in the short term” were being investigated.

KPMG’s Brendan Richards said they were working closely with the state government and councils. Landlords of the warehouses crammed full of crushed recycling are furious at being left to clean up the mess at their own cost.

Carly Whitington, speaking for the landlords, invited Premier Daniel Andrews to view the stockpiles for himself.

“We are still waiting to hear from the government to just talk about this whole debacle but we are just being palmed from pillar to post,” she said.

“If it could be processed here that’s all well and good but I don’t see that happening because from what I’ve heard we don’t have the facilities to process it here.”

Carly Whitington has called on Premier Daniel Andrews to view the stockpiles for himself. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian

The state government has ruled out bailing out SKM.

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Warren Tibbitts, of Qilin International Solutions, said he had inspected the waste with a view to shipping it to Europe for processing.

But on Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a ban on exporting recycling material overseas.

Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said there were no specifics about when it would start or how it would work.

The state government has ruled out bailing out SKM but said talks were continuing with councils and industry players about how to make the sector more sustainable.