By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The long-sought closure of the Lyndhurst toxic waste dump has been belatedly added to Greater Dandenong Council’s state election wish-list.
Councillor Rhonda Garad had queried at a 12 September council meeting why the issue wasn’t intially part of the council’s advocacy document.
It led to council directors adding it to the council’s “formal documentation and advocacy web page”.
City planning director Jody Bosman said despite the omission, the council wanted the site closed “as soon as possible”.
“(While it) is not in our advocacy document per se, like many other matters that the Council advocates on, the closure of the Lyndhurst landfill site will continue to be one of those that we advocate for at every opportunity.
“That it is not in the document on the website, does not mean that we are any less committed to seeing the closure of it as soon as possible.”
The controversial issue had been a fixture in the council’s advocacy documents at past elections.
According to the latest document, the council had expressed “grave concern” and “opposition” to contaminated waste at Lyndhurst tip for more than 25 years.
The State Government had pledged the dumping of prescribed industrial wastes would continue until 2020.
“It is now 2022 and the Minister for Planning … has since the last election approved planning permits for uses on the site which in fact increases the longevity of the site, despite the City of Greater Dandenong lodging strong opposition to these,” the document stated.
This refers to SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Australia being granted a permit by the State Government in July to separate packaged food waste on the 890 Taylors Road site.
Greater Dandenong Council, which was consulted, opposed the project.
According to the State Government, a time limit was imposed on the recycling plant’s permit to “cease on the closure of the landfill”.
The landfill had started under the auspices of the then Shire of Cranbourne. It was inherited by Greater Dandenong after council amalgamations in the mid 1990’s.
It has a potential to remain open beyond 2046, Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio told Parliament in 2019.
