By Laura Michell
Hume council has criticised SKM Services for failing to properly manage its recycling plants.
Hume is one of 20 Victorian councils that has been forced to rethink how it disposes of kerbside recycling collections after the Environment Protection Authority banned SKM from accepting waste at its Coolaroo and Laverton North sites on February 15.
Councils were given less than 24 hours notice of the ban. It is not known when the recycling plants will reopen.
Hume and Whittlesea councils have opted to send recycling collections to landfill, although Whittlesea council asked residents to hold onto their recycling until their next collection in a fortnight, if possible.
Hume council said about 7600 recycling bins a day were sent to landfill at Sunbury and Wollert last week.
In a Facebook post, the council said it was angry that recycling was being dumped in landfill.
“The reality is that, in Melbourne, there are only three major players with capacity to provide the recycling service councils need – the EPA has now shut down one and the other two simply do not have capacity to manage the demand,” the post stated.
“We are also frustrated that SKM has accepted contracts, and the money that comes with, but has failed to meet its obligations to manage its recycling process.”
Mayor Carly Moore said the council would wait for an EPA investigation into SKM to conclude before making a decision on the future of recycling contracts.
The council has blamed continuous state and federal government policy failure for the recycling crisis, adding that government leaders needed to ensure there was good planning and continuous regulation, as well as policy and investment in the waste management industry to rectify the situation.
Whittlesea mayor Lawrie Cox said it was an “unacceptable” situation.
He called for the government to find a more sustainable option for recycling.
State Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio did not respond to questions regarding the government’s efforts to improve Victoria’s recycling industry.
SKM did not respond.
