Parliamentary inquiry urges stricter rules for Melbourne waste-to-energy plants amid community concerns

A parliamentary investigation into waste-to-energy projects across Melbourne’s outer suburbs produced 33 recommendations, including real-time emissions tracking, a reassessment of approval processes and requiring operators to contribute to local road upkeep. The report noted Victoria generates 5.7 million tonnes of residual waste, projected to rise to 8.9 million tonnes by 2053, and described waste-to-energy as a last-resort option before landfill.

Community groups from Sunbury, Wollert, Laverton and Dandenong voiced concerns about health impacts, ash handling and plant proximity—some sites lie only 800 m from new housing. The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia praised the call for mandatory product stewardship, while MP David Ettershank and health experts urged mandatory safety demonstrations and defined buffer zones. The Environment Protection Authority currently lacks a minimum distance benchmark, and the committee urged the Victorian government to provide clear criteria. A dissenting Liberal-one outlet's report supported waste-to-energy in principle but stressed location importance, and the Liberals later announced scrapping the Sunbury plant plan.