The most significant shift in Victoria’s waste management policy in decades is underway and no-one seems to have noticed. We are literally building incinerators.
Rubbish is a global problem, and Australians produce more of it than most. Victoria’s dumps are overflowing, and our recycling system has been a debacle. The Victorian Government’s solution is called “Waste to Energy” (WtE), which conjures images of our excessive lifestyles being harnessed to produce power — but it’s greenwashing. The truth is, we consume too much, recycle too little, and are overwhelmed with rubbish — which we’re now planning on burning. This is the antithesis of the Victorian government’s “Circular Economy” policy.
A so-called “ring of fire” is under construction in Victoria, with numerous WtE incinerators in development. While these modern incinerators are undoubtedly better than the cast iron models of the past, the jury is still very much out on the health and environmental impacts of even the newest ones. The Public Health Association of Australia has said that “waste incinerators are associated with health harms” and suggested a “precautionary approach”. In NSW, such plants are not permitted to be built in residential areas and yet in Victoria they are underway in Lara, Wollert, Maryvale, Laverton North and Dandenong South. It is important to note that all these areas are low SES and have a high proportion of CALD residents. One can imagine the outcry if they were being built in Brighton or Byron Bay.
Importantly, many Labor MP’s – including Victoria’s own Minister for Climate Action, Lily D’Ambrosio – have publicly campaigned against WtE plants in their own electorates. Which begs the question as to why they’re ok elsewhere. It is not clear that existing policies or technologies are fit for purpose. Even with the enormous amount of rubbish currently being burnt (and increasing year on year) the Auditor-General says we are nowhere near the Government’s own landfill targets.
“It is very telling that senior Labor figures such as Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and, our own Minister for Climate Action Minister Lily D’Ambrosio, oppose incinerators in their own electorates. They are clearly not confident that these incinerators are safe or welcome where they live and work. If it’s ok to truck in rubbish from all over Melbourne to Dandenong and burn it, it’s ok to do so in more affluent areas.”
On the 27th of August, Legalise Cannabis Victoria will debate a motion in Parliament calling for a review of WtE projects currently underway in Victoria, including an assessment of their environmental, health and social impacts, as well as the adequacy of social licensing processes.
Tuesday, the 12th of August 2025
Related:
> Victoria’s Burning Problem – Rachel Payne
> Waste incineration and landfill targets – Rachel Payne
> Waste-to-energy could cause more problems than it solves – Rachel Payne
