By CASEY NEILL
A Dandenong South company could reduce landfill waste thanks to a new licence to recycle soil.
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) issued RENEX Group with the permits to recycle contaminated soil.
EPA’s Tim Faragher said the Ordish Road business could now operate a state-of-the-art soil thermal treatment and recycling facility.
“Under its EPA licence, RENEX Group will be able to treat about 70,000 tonnes of contaminated soil per year and store up to 20,000 tonnes of contaminated soil and 22,000 litres of prescribed industrial waste liquids and convert it into re-useable material,” he said.
“Depending on the soil, after treatment it could be categorised as fill material and be used for any soil purpose such as in gardens, parks, landscaping or construction.
“The facility will use the liquid waste as an alternative fuel.”
Mr Faragher said granting the company an EPA licence would also reduce the amount of hazardous waste being disposed of at landfills.
“The company has produced technology that allows hydrocarbons to be removed from soil, which means many thousands of tonnes of contaminated soil can be put to good use rather than buried in the ground,” he said.
Mr Faragher said that before its licence was issued, RENEX Group had already gone through the EPA works approval process.
“A works approval is a document issued by EPA permitting, subject to certain conditions, the construction of a plant, the installation of equipment or the modification of a process,” he said.
“A works approval is required for industrial and waste management activities that have the potential for significant environmental impact.
“After numerous works and commissioning approvals, the facility in Dandenong South is now licensed to accept, store and treat this prescribed industrial waste.”
RENEX CEO Marinos Angelodemou said the company was established in 2008 and following a lengthy planning permit and EPA process, started building on its four-hectare site in mid-2012.
Greater Dandenong Council rejected a permit for the plant but the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal overturned the decision.
“Successful commissioning of the treatment plant was completed in January 2016,” Mr Angelodemou said.
It’s Australia’s first large-scale integrated waste treatment and resource recovery facility and will use technology developed in Germany.
He said RENEX was considering expansion plans as market demand for its services was expected to increase in the medium term.
“We have approximately two hectares of vacant land available at the facility for future expansion,” he said.
