Tip row ruling nears

By Shaun Inguanzo
A 14-YEAR fight to stop a Lyndhurst tip receiving hazardous waste could end in two weeks, but in doing so would spark a statewide debate over the location of a new site, according to lobbyists.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing between Lyndhurst landfill operator SITA and the City of Greater Dandenong ended last week.
The ruling will determine whether SITA has breached an old Shire of Cranbourne permit by dumping materials such as mercury, lead, cadmium, acids and alkaline at its Lyndhurst tip site.
A verdict that upholds the breach would force SITA to stop receiving the waste unless its permit is amended.
But debate over a new site would stem from such a result according to residents who presented information to the tribunal from a 14-year campaign to stop the waste being dumped at Lyndhurst.
This week Residents Against Toxic Waste in the South East (RATWISE) spokeswoman Thelma Wakelam said a result was as little as two weeks away, but could be up to two months away depending on how rapidly VCAT reaches its verdict.
“We are positive, we are keeping our fingers crossed, you can never be sure how a case may turn out,” she said.
Ms Wakelam said the case could open up debate about the location of a new hazardous waste site, with strong objections to a proposal in Mildura.
“This case is of enormous significance to the state, with what is happening in Mildura with the waste there, it is a topical sort of situation,” she said.
“A lot of facts may come into the decision – who is right and wrong isn’t what immediately comes out in the court.
“It could be a result that leads on to other things, but we do have our fingers crossed.”
SITA told Star in November last year that the verdict would centre on the definition of hazardous waste, with general manager Daniel Fyfe saying SITA was operating within its Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) licence, works permit and planning permit.