Wollert residents have been left frustrated after Cleanaway was allocated a waste-to-energy (WtE) cap licence for its proposed Melbourne energy resource recovery centre (MERC), despite strong opposition from locals.
On August 17, Recycling Victoria granted Cleanaway the capacity to process up to 760,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste each year – double the original cap of 380,000 tonnes per annum.
The waste will be burnt at the MERC, which Cleanaway is proposing to build at 510 Summerhill Road, Wollert.
The WtE process is designed to reduce landfill by converting non-recyclable waste into energy. Cleanaway says the MERC could evolve into a broader energy hub, supplying electricity, heat, and steam to nearby industries.
The proposed facility is projected to process 13 per cent of Victoria’s waste from landfill, providing power to 140,000 homes and businesses.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) is expected to make a decision on Cleanaway’s MERC application by August 30.
Recycling Victoria’s licence announcement has been met with anger from Wollert residents, who say they were not properly consulted by Cleanaway when the MERC project was first announced in 2021.
Julie Ahmad, a local resident and administrator for the No Northern Incinerator Facebook group, said the project had been “very quietly put together” since Cleanaway purchased the site in 2021.
“No one understood what this incinerator meant. There’s been a complete lack of consultation,” Mrs Ahmad said.
“Cleanaway says they’ve consulted, but the only way people have heard about it is through our Facebook group. If you ask anyone in the supposed letter drop range, they’ll tell you they never received anything.”
Cleanaway told Star Weekly community engagement commenced in 2021 when the MERC project was first announced, with additional community engagement services made available later on.
“There were additional engagement opportunities throughout 2023 and 2024 including in-person and online information sessions, as well as one-on-one meetings with the Cleanaway team,” a statement said.
“Cleanaway also established a stakeholder reference group made up of local residents from a range of diverse cultural and religious backgrounds with an interest in the proposal, providing an active channel between the local community and Cleanaway.”
Mrs Ahmad said the community was alarmed by the increased capacity of the waste-to-energy cap licence.
“With the increased cap it’s very concerning about the health risks. There are 59 schools within a 10km radius – it’s just completely in the wrong area. What’s more these incinerators should be banned once and for all everywhere,” she said.
Cleanaway stated the site is located in an area designated for employment-related industrial land uses, with more than a one kilometre buffer distance between residential housing and the proposed site.
Residents have lodged petitions and raised concerns with local MPs including Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio and federal MP Andrew Giles.
Mrs Ahmad said the group would hold a public meeting on August 31 following the EPA’s decision.
The meeting will be held at the Whittlesea council offices, Ferres Boulevard, South Morang, from 1pm.
Despite the pushback, Cleanaway maintains it is committed to “working with the community openly and transparently” and said the MERC will be designed to meet community expectations and environmental standards.
