By Marcus Uhe
The City of Casey has provided an update to residents on the odour issue caused by SBI Inert Landfill that continues to plague residents in Cranbourne South and Botanic Ridge.
On Tuesday 9 August, the council said it was “continuing to liaise closely” with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), who are the lead authority for the site’s operating license.
The council issued a Planning Contravention Notice to SBI as part of its continued advocacy on behalf of their residents.
The EPA has issued remedial notices requiring SBI to take action to address the issue, including improving the daily cover of the area the smell emanates from, installing a mechanism to capture and treat landfill gas, and take measures to prevent hotspots in the waste mass on the site.
The deadline for these notices is late August, with the EPA to decide on the course of action, should the deadlines not be met.
The EPA is also investigating potential breaches of the Environmental Protection Act 2017, including the General Environmental Duty, and SBI landfill licence requirements.
SBI announced last week on their website that framework for a new landfill gas extraction system had been installed on Wednesday 3 August and testing would commence on the following Thursday and Friday.
Removal of stagnant water was completed on Sunday 24 July, SBI said.
Regular information sessions have been held both online and in person with representatives from Casey, the EPA and SBI, including an online Q and A session on Thursday 14 July and an in-person event at the Mayone-Bullock Family and Community Centre on Saturday 6 August.
The EPA encourages residents impacted by the smell to complete a pollution report form by calling the EPA (1300 372 842) or emailing contact@epa.vic.gov.au.
Pollution report forms can be found at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution
