Lyndhurst landfill operator Veolia has told a community reference group that it does not have a “sunset clause” for one of the state’s most hazardous tips, and it depended on the market and what people sent to the landfill.
According to the CRG minutes in August, a Veolia representative told the meeting that the site was taking markedly less waste than in the 1990s and that “the State Government has concerns about the site closing”.
“Veolia is in discussions with the government regarding the need to build the final cell, Cell 21, because the state needs it for the reportable priority waste,” the minutes recorded.
It also reported that pollution watchdog Environment Protection Authority Victoria had rejected the proposed Cell 21.
The Taylors Road landfill, operating since the early 1990s, is one of two proscribed hazardous-waste dumps in Victoria.
A previous Labor State Government pledged to stop allowing toxic waste at Lyndhurst by 2020, but its time line is now being left to operator Veolia.
It has a potential to remain open beyond 2046, then-Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio told Parliament in 2019.
In 2024, the State Government said the end-date was a question for landfill operator Veolia based on waste filling rates and landfill capacity.
