Dump not dumped yet
ANOTHER 1450 signatures opposing the proposed landfill at Leongatha South were handed to Gippsland South MP Danny O’Brien last week.
The landfill, proposed by French company Veolia to accept around 200,000 tonnes of Melbourne’s waste a year, has faced strong opposition from the local community.
Mr O’Brien and Nationals Eastern Victoria Region MLC Melina Bath collected the signatures from Dump the Dump spokesperson Wendy Reed.
“The Dump the Dump group is fighting hard to oppose the proposal, which would bring Melbourne’s waste to South Gippsland,” he said.
“They have worked hard to spread the word about this proposal and to ensure Veolia and the State Government know it is not welcome.”
Mr O’Brien has already tabled 1300 signatures against the petition and said the amount of public opposition is a strong signal locals do not want the landfill.
Ms Bath said there was no certainty the landfill would proceed any further than its current stage.
“The community is working hard to show its opposition to the proposal. As a local resident I’m right behind them. I encourage everyone to have their say to ensure we can send a clear message on this idea,” she said.
Over the last few months, the Dump the Dump group has continued to engage at a state policy level in relation to Veolia’s proposal.
Ms Reed said Dump the Dump would welcome the opportunity to engage with and contribute to discussions with the Gippsland Waste Resource and Recovery Group (GWRRG) around the proposal.
“We will be attending the meeting in Leongatha,” she said.
The GWRRG will hold public information sessions on its regional strategy for waste in Leongatha on Thursday, February 18 and in Foster today (Tuesday) between 4pm and 5.30pm.
Mr O’Brien said this was a good opportunity for local people to voice their concerns.
“I think this is a good opportunity to send a message that we don’t want Melbourne’s waste in our backyard,” he said.
“We are very happy to deal with our own, but taking on Melbourne rubbish is simply not fair.”
Veolia has not yet submitted the proposal for the development of the landfill, which the company was hoping to have operational by 2018.
Veolia said it intends to work closely with the GWRRG and State Government to ensure the potential landfill site is listed in a valid waste management plan before it submits its planning application.
The Leongatha South site only becomes a viable option if it is listed in the Gippsland Waste and Resource Recovery Implementation plan.
A spokesperson for the GWRRG said the draft of the plan was scheduled to be released for public comment in late April/early May.
Signatures: Gippsland South MP Danny O’Brien and member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath collect a petition from Dump the Dump group’s Wendy Reed recently, with nearly 1500 signatures.
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Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Feb 16 2016. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
