By Laura Michell
Whittlesea council has called on the state government to reject a plan for a waste incinerator in Wollert.
As reported by Star Weekly, Cleanaway is proposing to build the Melbourne Energy and Resource Centre (MERC) at 510 Summerhill Drive.
The proposed facility would process waste to produce energy for offsite use, involving the combustion, treatment, or bio-reaction of waste in a bid to reduce reliance on landfill and generate energy.
A development licence application has been submitted to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and a planning permit application has been submitted to the Department of Transport and Planning (DTP).
Two rounds of community consultation have been held in relation to the project, with the community overwhelmingly opposed to the proposal.
A community advocate group – No Northern Incinerator Wollert – was started to raise awareness about the proposed facility and lobby against its approval.
At a council meeting on December 17, councillors added their voices to the growing opposition.
Councillors backed a council officer’s submission to DTP and EPA urging the state government to reject the proposal in its role as decision-maker.
Council chief executive Craig Lloyd will also write to the planning and environment minister to advocate against the proposal.
Council’s decision reflects concerns about the facility’s potential impact on local amenities, human health, the environment, traffic and the surrounding community.
Additional issues include its proximity to residential areas and the facility’s misalignment with state and local planning frameworks.
Mayor Aidan McLindon said while council supported innovative waste solutions, it could not endorse a project that raises unresolved concerns about its impact on residents and the environment.
“We owe it to our community to advocate for sustainable practices that align with their needs and expectations,” he said.
In September, four northern suburbs Labor MPs – climate Action, Energy and Resources Minister and Mill Park MP Lily D’Ambrosio, Thomastown MP Bronwyn Halfpenny and Yan Yean MP Lauren Kathage and federal Scullin MP Andrew Giles – backed a parliamentary petition opposing the facility.
Cleanaway, in its online response to community submissions, said the Summerhill Drive site was chosen following a review of 200 potential sites and is 1.4 kilometres from existing residential areas in Wollert and 1.2 km from future residential developments.
“The proposed waste-to-energy facility offers an appropriate and productive use of the land, which is already surrounded by several industrial facilities making it unsuitable for residential development,“ Cleanaway
It said a human health risk assessment (HHRA) identified no unacceptable risks to community health, noting that the risk of odour impacts was low.
The EPA and DTP are still assessing the applications, with the EPA seeking additional information about the proposal from Cleanaway in November.
