A report tabled in the Victorian Legislative Council has recommended manufacturers be required to take greater responsibility for products at the end of their life under a national product stewardship scheme for plastics and packaging.
The Legislative Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee inquired into the development and expansion of waste-to-energy (WtE) infrastructure in Victoria, delivering 59 findings and 33 recommendations to improve transparency, strengthen regulation and build community confidence in decision-making.
The inquiry found Victoria faces a growing residual waste challenge, with 5.7 million tonnes generated in 2024 and projected to rise to 8.9 million tonnes by 2053.
“Managing Victoria’s residual waste is one of the state’s most significant environmental challenges,” Committee Chair Georgie Purcell said.
The Committee found Victoria is not currently on track to meet its target of diverting 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2030 and stressed that waste avoidance, reuse and recycling must remain the priority.
“To reduce this challenge the Victorian Government should advocate to the Commonwealth Government to consider requiring manufacturers take greater responsibility for products at the end of their life,” she said.
Among its recommendations the Committee has called for:
- greater transparency around waste-to-energy licence allocation decisions
- periodic public reviews of Victoria’s waste-to-energy cap
- a central public register of waste-to-energy projects
- stronger community consultation requirements
- independent auditing and greater public reporting of facility emissions
- community health surveillance and environmental biomonitoring programs
- improved public education on both waste reduction and waste-to-energy technologies.
The report also highlights the need for clearer information about how waste-to-energy facilities operate, what they can emit, how emissions are monitored, and how planning and approval decisions are made.
The report recommends the Victorian Government require operators of waste-to-energy facilities to fund an independently administered community health surveillance program as a condition of planning approval.
“We heard from communities who want independent information they can trust, genuine opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them, and confidence that environmental and health impacts will be rigorously assessed,” Ms Purcell said.
The report is available on the Committee’s website.
