By CAMERON LUCADOU-WELLS
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GREATER Dandenong Council will need to step up its campaign to close Lyndhurst’s hazardous waste landfill, says chief executive John Bennie.
He said the council would have to be more forthright, given its previous strategies “had not brought the results”.
The next step in its lobbying would be the subject of a council report by August, considered by the council before October’s council elections, and finalised by late December-January.
“We want the earliest closure of the Lyndhurst site as a municipal landfill site and prescribed waste site – full stop.”
The site could be closed earlier, either if it was filled more quickly or if other sites could be found, Mr Bennie said.
“We respect the operator SITA. They know the council’s position and we will continue to work through to an outcome.”
Mr Bennie said there had been achievements since Lyndhurst was selected as the site of Victoria’s only “prescribed-waste landfill” – what residents call a “toxic waste dump”.
One snag in the strategy is that the council has been dumped by SITA from the landfill’s revamped community steering committee.
It had comprised residents, businesses and representatives of the council, the Environment Protection Authority and SITA.
It will be replaced by a ‘community reference group’ open to those who live or work within five kilometres of the landfill. It won’t include the council or the EPA.
Residents Against Toxic Waste in the South East spokeswoman Thelma Wakelam said the absence of the council and EPA as permanent members would make it harder to hold SITA to account.
“They can still be invited but they are not going to be coming to the meetings all the time.”
She welcomed a possible stronger stance from the council, which had been treated with “contempt” by the state government.
An information session on the reference group will be held by SITA at Lynbrook Primary School, Paterson Drive, Lynbrook, on July 18 at 6.30pm.
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