Call to negotiate better waste contracts
Victorian councils facing the headache of sending recyclables to landfill are being urged to better negotiate their contracts with waste processors by the state government.
Plants operated by one of Victoria's largest recycling firms have been temporarily shut down by the environmental watchdog, leaving councils with no option but to dump the material.
Two SKM recycling facilities at Coolaroo and Laverton North were ordered to stop accepting waste last week, with the EPA citing dangerous stockpiling posing a fire hazard.
SKM takes about 50 per cent of Victoria's kerbside recycling across three facilities, but the materials have been piling up since China stopped accepting foreign waste.
Victoria's Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said the situation was an opportunity for councils to overhaul their recycling contracts so there are contingencies in place.
"This is why we invested $37 million to move a more efficient and resilient recycling system," she said, citing an assistance payment when China's recyclables refusal started to pinch.
"We want competition in the market to encourage new operators to set up in Victoria and invest in equipment/infrastructure upgrades."
In meetings with the Metropolitan Waste and Resource Group on Monday, Ms D'Ambrosio urged councils to strengthen their contracts and agreements with SKM to stop it happening again.
Recycling bins in Brimbank, Cardinia, Port Phillip and Casey will be collected as normal, but will be sent to landfill, the councils confirmed.
Mornington Peninsula says their collections will continue as normal and won't be sent to landfill as they have the capacity to temporarily store recyclable material.
