Sarah Oliver
Ravenhall is an ‘inappropriate’ location to dump asbestos-riddled waste, according to Melton council.
The council has expressed its frustration at Cleanaway’s plan to receive and dispose of asbestos waste at the Melbourne Regional Landfill in Ravenhall.
As reported by Star Weekly, Cleanaway is seeking approval from the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to amend its licence in order to handle asbestos waste.
The application follows a bid by Cleanaway to accept toxic spoil form the West Gate Tunnel project at Ravenhall. Hi-quality’s landfill in Bulla was ultimately chosen as the storage site for the soil.
Melton mayor Goran Kesic said council has only recently been made aware of the proposal.
“We’re extremely disappointed that Cleanaway is again proposing to dump more toxic waste at this site,” Cr Kesic said.
Cr Kesic said Ravenhall is an area where families live and work and is not an appropriate location to dump toxic materials.
“Cleanaway has a responsibility to ensure they clearly communicate these plans to the community, and provide ample opportunity for feedback. Cleanaway must directly and clearly articulate that this is a proposal to accept and process asbestos at their Ravenhall facility.”
Cr Kesic said all decision-making power lies with EPA and not with council.
“We strongly hope that the EPA will assess this application rigorously. It is critically important that the EPA thoroughly scrutinises the safety of Cleanaway’s plans for possible transportation and treatment of asbestos,” he said.
Cleanaway said in a statement the application will support the ‘Asbestos Disposal Management Plan’ from the state government, which was released earlier this year.
The plan stated that asbestos disposal facilities within Victoria are limited, with 27 locations across the state accepting asbestos waste.
“Our application to the EPA for a licence amendment requires a detailed asbestos management plan to ensure our compliance procedures for managing asbestos waste will be robust and safe for our staff, local community, and the environment,” the statement said.
In its statement, Cleanaway said measures will be taken to minimise environmental and safety impacts, including being operated and monitored by trained professionals, GPS coordinates of where asbestos is located and monthly air monitoring around the perimeter of the asbestos disposal area.
Cleanaway will host several community information webinars in the next few weeks to inform the community of its plans.
Details: ow.ly/pFsJ50GFL7Z
