A Greater Dandenong councillor representative will no longer sit on a community reference group (CRG) overseeing the controversial Lyndhurst toxic waste landfill.
On 13 November, councillors unanimously approved their withdrawal from the Taylors Road landfill CRG.
A council officer will instead continue to represent Greater Dandenong on the group, which meets every three months.
The move seems at odds with the council’s concerns about community health and recent EPA notices and fines against the site’s operator.
Greater Dandenong had vigorously advocated for more than 20 years for the closure of the landfill, which accepts proscribed industrial waste and highly contaminated soils.
In August, three community members attended the CRG, as well as a trio from EPA, a trio from Veolia, a representative from the site’s contaminated soil facility EarthSure and a Greater Dandenong Council manager.
CRG community attendee Thelma Wakelam said it was “disappointing” that councillors would no longer attend.
“It’s different to having a council officer there because a councillor’s role is to represent the community.
“If there’s no community representation, there’s little accountability. If they’re committed to the earliest possible closure, they need a councillor there.”
According to minutes, it appears no councillor has attended the CRG meetings since Angela Long in late 2022.
Cr Rhonda Garad was listed as the nominated councillor for the group in 2024-’25, but says she wasn’t made aware of the posting.
“It’s quite concerning that I was not made aware.
“I have no problem with an officer attending instead but I’d like to be kept informed. I haven’t had any updates for a very long time.”
Cr Garad said the council was regardless “still strongly opposed to the landfill and wants it shut down as soon as possible.”
Greater Dandenong city futures executive director Sanjay Manivasagasivam said the move was as a result of the group’s “more operational focus”.
“The issues that arise tend to be around road use, signage and other operational matters.
“For this reason, it has been more useful to have a senior council officer attend, rather than a councillor.
“We have found that council officers can often provide useful, practical information in response to enquiries and take issues away to bring back quick answers.
“We are still strongly committed to keeping open channels of communication between local stakeholders, council and the operator.”
Manivasagasivam said the group used to be “highly engaged around strategic land use” when there were more residences nearby.
“Over time, the area has developed with much more industrial use, and very few residential properties.”
Wakelam says that in any case, many people are working and living near the landfill.
“In a way, it’s worse that there’s more industrial use there. If there’s any emissions, it means there’s people living and working there who don’t leave the area.
“Many are working close to that landfill who still don’t know there’s highly hazardous material there.”
According to the CRG’s minutes in August, the discussion wasn’t confined to signage and traffic.
There was talk of a proposed new “final” landfill cell – Cell 21 – that was rejected by the EPA.
Other issues of public interest raised were the handling of PFAS (‘forever chemicals’) during soil treatment and a report listing the sources of contaminated soil including the Suburban Rail Loop project.
The EPA – which has fined and put the landfill on notice in recent years – reported it conducted two inspections of the landfill this year, with no “current active notices”.
In the past 20 years, councillors have repeatedly called for the tip’s immediate closure.
These calls intensified in 2024, after Environment Protection Authority Victoria issued three improvement notices to operator Veolia for leachate (wastewater), dust and landfill gas issues at the tip.
Greater Dandenong mayor Lana Formoso at the time said the community had “lost complete faith and trust in this facility”.
The same year, Veolia was fined $40,000 for failing to use permissioned vehicles to transport hazardous waste.
In 2023, it was fined $9246 for failing to report on groundwater quality at Taylors Road by the specified time.
In response at the time, the Government stated the landfill to be held to the “highest operating standards, in line with community expectations”.
“EPA has strengthened its oversight of Veolia’s landfill sites, and is conducting more frequent inspections of the site.
“Although there was no imminent risk to human health or the environment, nor any impacts beyond the boundary of the site, the (improvement) notices were issued on the basis of risks not being managed as far as reasonably practicable.”
