The Don’t Waste Wyndham group has lodged an appeal against the construction of four new landfill cells at the Werribee tip, labelling them a potential “waste mountain”.
Spokesman Harry van Moorst said the group had applied to have an appeal heard at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and was waiting to see if the application was successful.
The move comes after the Environment Protection Authority granted Wyndham council the green light to open four landfill cells within the boundaries of its Wests Road landfill.
The council can build four cells that will each be made up of multiple sub-cells and can reach up to 30 metres above natural ground level – or 44 metres above sea level. This is the height limit enforced on the tip’s existing cells.
Mr van Moorst said giving the council blanket approval for the next 25 years posed a number of problems.
“We’re worried about the odour inevitability, we’re worried about the height – it’s no longer a landfill, it’s actually a waste mountain – and that is not in the interests of Wyndham as a community, it’s not in the interest of the visual impact for people coming to Wyndham.
“We see there is no real justification for going to that height, or for giving such a lengthy approval instead of doing what they used to do and give no more than five years’ approval in advance and expect it will be reviewed to determine if it is appropriate or not to continue with it.”
If the appeal application is approved, Mr van Moorst said the group would have to rely on crowdfunding to fund the fight, with the appeal expected to cost upwards of $2500.
