By Kath Gannaway
With Yarra Ranges ratepayers contributing $63 a ton, and more, to deal with landfill, Cr Jim Child says the allocation of landfill levy revenue in the State Government’s budget is a misuse of the funds.
The budget identifies levy monies to fund projects such as timber plantation, solar trams, remediating land at gun clubs and a new website for a government agency to be funded from the levy.
The MAV responded to the budget allocation, saying the original intent of collecting the landfill levy was to boost recycling rates and support waste reduction and sustainability initiatives.
“Councils have been crying out for support with waste and resource recovery projects, and the exorbitant cost of rehabilitation closed landfill sites, yet the State Government has chosen to spend landfill levy revenue on totally unrelated purposes,” MAV president Cr Mary Lalios said.
She said councils were also concerned about the lack of transparency around the Sustainability Fund which contained money paid by households and businesses through the landfill levy.
Cr Child, council’s representative on the Metropolitan Local Government Waste Forum, will move an urgent motion at the next council meeting (Tuesday, 9 May) to write to
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio, objecting to the levy being spent on initiatives he said had “nothing whatsoever to do with recovery of waste and reduction of landfill”.
“Here is money that is supposed to be set aside for waste-reduction projects and helping us going into the future.
“We’re not going to have as many landfill sites in the future, and what we have to do is recycle and reduce dependence on landfill, and here we are with the State Government wanting to create new metropolitan parks.
“I have no problem with providing these facilities, but there must be other funds to do that.”
Cr Child said he believed the 2016/’17 levy was $63 a ton with every ton of waste having to leave the municipality for processing.
“That’s transported over 40 kilometres with that additional cost on us, on top of the $63 a ton which we contribute to the landfill levy and have to budget for.
“It makes me annoyed that it’s not going to its correct purpose.”
Cr Lalios said despite increases in the landfill levy, the amount of waste being generated by communities had risen significantly.
She said along with government projections of population increase to 10.1million by 2051, the way Victoria managed waste had to change.
