Tate Papworth
The Ravenhall landfill has begun accepting PFAS contaminated soil, the Environment Protection Authority has confirmed.
The move has angered local MPs who claim the west is being used as a dumping ground.
Ravenhall is one of three sites in negotiations with the state government, which is in need of a facility to store 1.5 million cubic metres of rock and soil from the West Gate Tunnel project.
In documentation seen by Star Weekly, the EPA confirmed the Ravenhall landfill had begun accepting contaminated soil.
“EPA is aware of small volumes of soil impacted with low levels of PFAS being disposed of at the Cleanaway facility in Ravenhall, consistent with their licence.
“EPA has not yet received an application from the West Gate Tunnel Project or Cleanaway for the Ravenhall site to receive larger volumes of waste soil from the proposed tunnel section.”
When questioned by Star Weekly, the EPA did not confirm if the soil is from the West Gate Tunnel Project.
Western Metropolitan MP Bernie Finn said he’d been left seething over the lack of transparency surrounding the toxic soil.
“I’m about to explode over this,” Mr Finn said.
“The state government is treating the west like we don’t matter. We deserve to know what’s being dumped in our backyard.
“The secrecy around all this is infuriating… I’ve raised this a number of times in Parliament and I’m yet to receive any answers on what’s being dumped and where.”
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur echoed Mr Finn’s sentiments.
“This government is totally opposed to transparency,” Ms McArthur said.
“They’ve blocked the opposition’s attempt to establish a cross-party committee to oversee their pandemic response, the Planning Minister is refusing to answer the questions on notice about the Maddingley Brown Coal site that I submitted two months ago, and now they’re dumping toxic soil in residents’ backyard somewhere without even telling them.”
“The Andrews Government must immediately stop allowing the movement of toxic soil, tell Victorians in the west where they’ve moved soil already and begin proper community consultation.”
Meanwhile the Brimbank council reaffirmed its opposition to accepting the soil at a special meeting held last Tuesday.
Mayor Georgina Papafotiou said the council would again write to the Victorian government to represent the ongoing concerns.
“Our community is really concerned about reports that this contaminated fill could be transported through Brimbank and dumped in the west. Our message to the state government is that the west is not a dumping ground for Victoria’s contaminated waste,’ Cr Papafotiou said.
