Wyndham City Council (WCC) proposed an extension to the existing Wests Road Refuse Disposal Facility – referred to as the ‘Wyndham landfill’.

The types of wastes accepted at the landfill includes domestic and commercial waste, supermarket processing and food waste, garden waste, demolition material, concrete, bricks, timber, plastic, glass, metals, bitumen, trees, uncontaminated fill and shredded tyres. The landfill is not licensed to accept contaminated soil, asbestos or other prescribed industrial wastes.

WCC proposed to extend the landfill by continuing to infill quarry voids created by quarrying operations also happening at the site.

The proposed extension requires a works approval from Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) under the Environment Protection Act 1970 (EP Act).

EPA first received the draft works approval application on 20 June 2016 and formally accepted the application on 8 December 2016. Following an assessment of the application, EPA issued a works approval on 9 October 2017.

Return to Wyndham landfill works approval application

Timeline

Key stages of the works approval application process and technical assessment included (in reverse chronological order):

• Between June and October 2016 – Pre-application discussions with WCC and referrals with Sustainability Victoria to check the proposals were consistent with the statewide waste and resource recovery infrastructure plan.
• 30 November 2016 – EPA received final works approval application.
• 8 December 2016 – EPA formally accepted the works approval application.
• 14 December 2016 – Works approval application advertised for an extended 56-day consultation (with a re-advertisement on 17 January 2017), with statutory and non-statutory referrals sent to agencies for review. Approximately 170 submissions were received.
• 19 January 2017 – EPA issued a section 22 notice request for further information from WCC.
• 14 March 2017 – EPA held a section 20B conference to provide stakeholders and the community opportunity to present their views on the works approval application.
• 27 March 2017 – EPA received a report from the independent chair of the section 20B conference, which included a number of recommendations.
• 12 April 2017 – EPA issued a second section 22 notice request for further information from WCC, including responses to concerns raised at the section 20B conference.
• Between 29 June and 31 July 2017 – EPA’s Independent Landfill Expert Advisory Panel considered the works approval application and EPA’s assessment, and provided an expert peer review.
• 10 July 2017 – EPA received further information in response to the first and second section 22 notice requests.
• 19 July 2017 – EPA advertised the further information received and held the consultation period open until 30 August 2017 with information sessions held on 1 and 23 August whereby stakeholders and the community could learn about the further information requested and received.
• 15 August 2017 – EPA received the independent peer review of the stormwater management plan.
• 18 August 2017 – EPA issued a third section 22 notice request for further information from WCC.
• 7 September 2017 – EPA received and accepted the further information received in response to the third section 22 notice.
• September to October 2017 – EPA specialists complete technical assessments of how the works approval application meets the EP Act, relevant policies and best practice guidelines for landfills.