Tara Murray
The Barro Group has not decided whether it will reopen the Kealba landfill, as the last of the hot spot fires inch closer to being extinguished.
Barro stopped accepting waste in December 2020 after the hot spot fires were identified, with the Environment Protection Authority suspending Barro’s license in September 2021.
At a recent community meeting, Kealba landfill manager Nino Frasca said it was unclear what would happen once the fires are out.
“My honest answer, the family have not decided that at this stage [whether to reopen],” he said. “The main focus is getting the fire out.
“A decision has not been made.”
It comes as the EPA set a new deadline for extinguishing the last hot spot – the end of August.
Having burned for more than two and half years, the fires have had a massive impact on the lives of residents living nearby.
With remediation work occurring near the bottom of the last hot spot, odours are expected to increase in the coming weeks.
The EPA had previously set a deadline of May 2021. Barro missed that deadline and said last year it wasn;t expecting to be able to extinguish the hot spot before tMay 2022.
An EPA spokesperson said the organisation had assessed updated information and evidence to determine a new date, which it believed Barro should be able to meet.
“The EPA conducts regular monitoring of this process,” the spokesperson said.
“If there is a failure to comply, EPA will consider what actions are appropriate under its Compliance and Enforcement Policy.”
Cr Virginia Tachos, who is a resident affected by the hot spots, said lack of information from the EPA about the hot spots had been disappointing.
She said residents were sceptical about the new deadline.
The EPA spokesperson said the organisation was committed to keep the community informed.
