Hannah Hammoud
The EPA has quashed community reports regarding a new hotspot at the Sunshine Landfill, confirming that there is just one remaining hotspot at the site.
Following the Sunshine Landfill community session with the EPA on September 21, news was circulating online that a second hotspot had been discovered near the first hotspot.
However the EPA has confirmed that there is only one ‘final’ hotspot remaining at the Sunshine Landfill site.
“EPA is awaiting an auditor-verified report on Barro Group’s landfill hotspot remediation plan at the Sunshine Landfill at Kealba which would see the final remaining hotspot extinguished by depriving it of oxygen,” said EPA west metropolitan regional manager Steve Lansdell.
“We will assess the report which we expect to receive shortly.”
Residents first made reports to the EPA regarding an unusual odour coming from the site in October 2019. Later that year, the Barro Group notified the EPA of four hotspots within the site.
The EPA said the hotspots were likely a result of “oxygen entering the landfill, and combusting with old, decomposed waste”.
In January this year, the EPA announced it would be revoking the Barro Group’s licence for the Sunshine Landfill after multiple alleged breaches.
The decision meant Barro could no longer accept waste at the landfill.
The EPA said the decision to cancel the licence followed assessment of information Barro Group provided in response to a show cause notice issued by EPA on October 28, 2022.
As reported by Star Weekly, underground fires have been burning at the site for more than three years, with Barro missing several deadlines to put the fires out.
The Barro Group will now attempt to put out the final hotspot with a new remediation plan that involves covering the hotspots in clay as a way to suffocate the fires and extinguish them through oxygen starvation.
The EPA said the court process continues and Barro Group’s next hearing is scheduled for April 15, 2024.
The EPA said it will continue to monitor air quality and odour from the site and provide information to the community. The EPA’s next community drop-in forum will be held from 5-7pm on Thursday, November 30, at the Kealba Hall located at 24 McShane Drive.
Details: www.epa.vic.gov.au/for-community/current-projects-issues/kealba
