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Kangaroo great Anthony Stevens writes exclusively for Star Weekly
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Local residents came together with council and MPs to speak out against the proposed incinerator. (Jack O’Shea-Ayres) 499919_01
Incinerator stalls By Jack O’Shea-Ayres Cleanaway has withdrawn its current application for a development licence for its contentious Waste to Energy (WtE) facility in Wollert. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was scheduled to make a decision on Cleanaway’s proposal to build the Melbourne Energy Resource Recovery Centre (MERC) at 510 Summerhill Road on Saturday, August 30, but told Star Weekly on Monday, September 1 that Cleanaway had withdrawn its application prior to the decision deadline. Star Weekly understands the application has been withdrawn amid plans to submit an updated application to the EPA to reflect Recycling Victoria’s decision to grant Cleanaway a significantly higher waste
burning cap. As reported by Star Weekly, on Sunday, August 17, Recycling Victoria approved a cap licence for Cleanaway to process up to 760,000 tonnes of waste per year. The licence was double the original application limit of 380,000 tonnes. The expanded capacity represents about 13 per cent of Victoria’s landfill-bound waste, projected to generate enough electricity to supply 140,000 homes and businesses. No Northern Incinerator community group member Cath Rousse criticised the EPA for failing to update those who made individual submissions about the proposed WtE facility. Cleanaway’s decision came as residents opposed to the WtE incinerator gathered at Whittlesea’s council offices on Sunday,
August 31, unaware the application had been withdrawn. The community meeting was attended by Whittlesea mayor Martin Taylor who said council moved to reject Cleanaway’s planning application and development license submission for the MERC back in December 2024. Ms Rousse said WtE facilities were not allowed in Sydney or the ACT, and residents didn’t want them in Whittlesea. Ganbu Gulinj Ward councillor Lawrie Cox, speaking on a personal basis, said having a commercial industrial incinerator within a kilometre of residential housing is not acceptable in this day and age. “It was some 40 years ago we recognised burning off in the backyard was a problem and we banned property incinerators,” he said.
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“The community in Wollert and Epping North have been very vocal in their opposition to this planned incinerator.”. 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.” Continued: Page 3.
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