The Friends at the waste to energy inquiry
07th June 2026
By Phil Sinclair, FoMC Committee
In May 2026, the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament held an Inquiry into the Development and Expansion of Waste-to-Energy Infrastructure in Victoria
It is something the Friends of Merri Creek are concerned about, particularly because one of the 11 waste incinerators proposed for Victoria is located on Curly Sedge Creek near Wollert. Curly Sedge Creek is one of the important northern tributaries of the Merri. The potential for the proposed Wollert waste incinerator (and other proposed waste incinerators) to pollute waterways and important animal and plant habitats, such as Curly Sedge Creek and the Merri Creek catchment, is the main reason for our concern.
We have supported the No Northern Incinerator group, which was formed to oppose the approval of an incinerator at 510 Summerhill Road, Wollert. As part of that support, the Friends of Merri Creek made two submissions –
- opposing the Cleanaway Development Licence Application for MERC, April 2024
- to the Legislative Council Inquiry into Waste to Energy in Victoria, March 2026.
Subsequently, the government doubled the cap on the volume of waste that some of the proposed incinerators could burn. This meant the development proposals must be prepared again by the proponents.
When the Legislative Council Inquiry started gathering evidence about Waste-to-Energy Infrastructure, Friends of Merri Creek provided short written and verbal submissions to the Inquiry, most recently on 8 May.
On 26 May, we again joined with the No Northern Incinerator group to hear presentations from some of the proponents of waste incinerators and from government agencies responsible for their planning and approval. The agencies included: EPA, Recycling Victoria, the Department of Transport and Planning, Department of Energy, Environment, Climate Change, and Infrastructure Victoria.
We also heard from Australian and European experts who have been investigating waste incineration impacts on health and the environment and how waste incinerators, once in place and operating, can stymie efforts to repurpose, reuse and recycle items in the waste stream.
Interestingly, some of the non-Government members of the Inquiry panel, including Liberal MPs, had a strong focus on the wide gap between the community’s views about waste incinerators and those of proponents and the government regulating agencies.
We await with great interest the Inquiry report to Parliament that should be made public in about 2–3 months.
Image credit: What’s that smell?
Outside the Hearing Room for the Inquiry into the development and expansion of waste-to-energy infrastructure in Victoria, 26 May 2026.
Image courtesy of No Northern Incinerator Group Inc.