EPA Victoria has informed Australian Native Landscapes Pty Ltd (ANL) that it will submit that the company should not be issued a licence when it appears at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing in April.
EPA executive director regional services Bruce Dawson said ANL had taken action at the Tribunal claiming a decision for the licence to operate the company’s existing composting facility at Coldstream had not been made within the required time frame.
“VCAT will hear that matter on April 7, but EPA has foreshadowed that it will be submitting that no licence be provided for that site.”
Mr Dawson said under new regulations, all existing composting facilities that process more than 100 tonnes of waste per month were required to apply for a licence by the end of 2007.
“Based on the information supplied by the company, community consultation and an assessment of the company’s performance to date, EPA will submit at the Tribunal hearing that it does not support the issuing of a licence.
“This company has a poor environmental performance. EPA has received more than 1800 pollution reports since it first began operating more than two years ago. They have failed to demonstrate an ability to operate their facility in accordance with requirements.”
Mr Dawson said EPA is committed to effective recycling of green waste through measures such as composting but that this should be done in a responsible manner, not impacting on the community.
More than 200 submissions were received regarding the company’s licence application. The chair of a recent conference to hear those submissions noted an ‘extremely strong level of concern’ lay within the community with regard to the composting facility and its continued adverse air emissions.
The chair’s report is available at www.epa.vic.gov.au
