Moonee Valley Sustainability invited Climate Action Merri-bek, No Northern Incinerator Wollert, Victorian Anti-incinerator Alliance and No Sunbury Waste Incinerator Group to speak at a public forum entitled: Waste Incinerators in Outer Melbourne, in Ascot Vale on Thursday 22nd October. The forum raised awareness of the issue, Victorian Government’s proposed waste incinerators and to facilitate plans for local action.
The speakers were:
- Cath Rouse: Climate Action Merri-bek and No Northern Incinerator Wollert
- Dr Marion Cincotta: Victorian Anti Incineration Alliance and No Northern Incinerator Wollert
- Adam Bremmer: No Sunbury Incinerator Group
Teresa Day, of Moonee Valley Sustainability, welcomed everyone warmly and set the scene for the evening with a well-informed introduction.
Cath Rouse gave a clear and thorough overview by outlining the current context and the history of the Wollert campaign (so far) as an example. She highlighted the language used by the company, Cleanaway, such as calling the proposed incinerator site: “Melbourne Energy and Resource Centre” with the purpose: “to meet Victoria’s growing waste needs”. Thus their language pre-empts a future of ever increasing “waste” and the company’s future profits! Cleanaway has used delay, postponement and time extensions as tactics to deflect the growing community protest. While listening I began to wonder how things would have gone if processes were followed well and companies were NOT given extra time to put in submissions etc. I imagined the end of incinerators at Wollert, Sunbury, Lara and saw the whole proposed “Ring of fire “around Melbourne extinguished!
Meanwhile, the next speaker, Dr Marian Cincotta, brought us back to the sad truth that these waste incinerators are still on the government’s agenda. Marian expertly outlined risks to human health and the environment as a whole. Waste incinerators emit toxic pollutants, including dioxins and particulate matter (including PFAS) into the atmosphere exacerbating conditions such as asthma and diabetes and possibly causing cancers. In France people living around one of these incinerators have been warned by public health authorities to NOT eat their own home grown vegetables and eggs.
In addition, the “bottom ash”, residue from the combustion, is toxic itself and must be treated as “hazardous waste”. The whole process makes a significant contribution to climate change with every kilo of carbon burned producing three kilos of carbon dioxide. Well may activists be calling this “Victoria’s New Dirty Secret”!
Adam Bremmer from the No Sunbury Incinerator Group was the final speaker. Sunbury began their campaign in September 2025. It was heartening to hear how the people of Sunbury and surrounding towns came together to fight the proposed incinerator in their community. Adam spoke well and later I learned he is a primary schoolteacher and a candidate in the upcoming state election.
Recently the Liberal party made a pre-election promise to NOT build a waste incinerator in Sunbury if elected, (but otherwise have stated that they support the industry – and have not ruled out other proposals) Maybe they feel the pressure? A sign of the effectiveness of community activism? Whereas considering the proposed incinerator is actually planned for Bulla, a town about 10 km away, could this be a case of weasel words?
Charles from the group: No waste incinerators in Lara & Greater Geelong Inc was in the audience. Their campaign in Lara has been going longer. The community established the group in 2021 and their hard work seems to have slowed things down. The fact that the company wanting to build the incinerator has been granted a “development licence” by the EPA means the threat still hangs over the Lara community.
Sitting in the hall hearing all this one might readily draw the conclusion that “of course” the Government will stop these incinerators from being built! In Europe these incinerators are being closed down and decommissioned. The recent Victorian Upper House Enquiry received evidence that overwhelmingly supports this conclusion: a ban on waste incinerators in Victoria.
It seems to me that the “game playing” of the companies positioning themselves for very lucrative contracts, like Cleanaway, and the lack of firm action by our own Environment Protection Authority mean community groups work harder and longer.
So it was heartening to hear Teresa ask:
So what can we do?
Ideas criss-crossed the room, support was offered, resources identified and (with follow up discussions) specific actions resolved:
- ask political parties what their official party policies are on waste incinerators
- contact independents and ask them what their stance is on waste incinerators
- challenge our local state MPs
- get our local Moonee Valley Council to agree to not support incineration as a waste process
- educate our community in Moonee Valley on waste incineration, why it’s not a solution, the current situation and what people can do!
Everyone in the room had learned more about why waste incinerators should be banned and left the hall that evening with a new resolve to take action to STOP the government’s planned waste incinerators.