Residents are urging authorities to take action to eliminate foul odours that are lingering for hours at a time across up to six north-western suburbs.
Former Sunshine mayor Marion Martin (pictured, centre) said the smell, believed to be coming from Boral’s Deer Park landfill, was getting worse, with the stench lasting up to four hours.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” she said. “It’s like having a garbage truck parked outside your house.
‘‘We shut all the doors and windows, but it still gets in. My husband says it smells like somebody has died.”
The Environment Protection Authority has received 37 reports since July of bad odours in Caroline Springs, Deer Park, Truganina and Derrimut.
Speaking in State Parliament last week, Western Metropolitan Liberal MP Bernie Finn called on the EPA to do something about an “intolerable situation for many thousands of people”.
“It is important we begin with establishing what is causing the odour.
“I ask the Minister for Environment and Climate Change to direct the Environment Protection Authority to investigate the source of the odour and report back to local residents as soon as is humanly possible.”
A Boral spokesman said the company was addressing the problem.
“We are improving our gas extraction systems within the landfill to ensure the amount of gas escaping is minimised,’’ he said.
Responding to resident concerns about an application to expand operations at the site, the spokesman said the company had no “immediate plans” to increase the amount of waste it received.
“This application seeks to allow the already approved quarry extraction area to continue to be used as landfill,” he said.
Melton council planning services manager Bob Baggio said Boral’s application was being processed and affected landowners would be notified in coming weeks.
Boral is also seeking to establish a public-waste transfer station for household waste that is not collected by the council.
An EPA spokeswoman said the Deer Park site, which includes a composting facility, would be closely monitored following recent inspections.
» EPA pollution hotline: 1300 372 842
