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EPA released a Draft Landfill Gas Fugitive Emissions Monitoring Guideline for public comment last year. Thank you to those who provided comments the consultation period has closed. The guideline is being prepared for final release and when published will be made available on this webpage. Please contact EPA for queries regarding this guideline ph: 1300 EPA VIC.

Overview

Landfills are an important part of Victoria's waste management infrastructure. The siting, management and rehabilitation of landfills requires a high level of design and management to ensure that that the environment is protected and community aspirations are met.

While disposal of materials to landfill is the least preferred management option for waste, landfills will continue to be required to manage those wastes that cannot be practically removed from the waste stream. Today’s landfills must not leave an unacceptable environmental legacy for our children to address. As long as landfilling remains part of our waste management strategy, best-practice measures must be adopted to ensure that landfills are acceptable to the public.

A works approval must be obtained before a landfill can be constructed except for municipal landfills serving a population of fewer than 500 people. A licence under the Environment Protection Act is required for all landfills apart from municipal landfills serving a population of fewer than 5000 people. The licence sets the performance objectives of the operating landfill, defines operating parameters and requires monitoring to check on environmental performance.

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EPA has revised guidance for landfills

The Best Practice Environmental Management - Siting, Design, Operation and Rehabilitation of Landfills (Landfill BPEM) is used by EPA, industry and others in relation to works approval applications and compliance activity. Applicants for a works approval or licence for a landfill must meet the objectives and required outcomes set out in the Landfill BPEM.

EPA has reviewed the Landfill BPEM to incorporate new technology and the latest understanding of improved management practices at landfills. The revisions to the document also respond to a number of the recommendations of the Victorian Ombudsman’s report Brookland Greens Estate — Investigation into Methane Gas.

landfill BPEM - Siting, design, operation and rehabilitation of landfills   (PDF 2814KB)

The Response to Comments document has been published in conjunction with the Landfill BPEM and provides an overview of key issues raised during consultation, highlights key areas of the document that have been updated and provides a table of responses to more specific comments and queries.

Response to Comments : Siting, design, operation and rehabilitation of landfills (PDF 456KB)

 

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Best practice for municipal landfills

EPA has finalised the EPA Publication 1208 - Best Practice Guidelines for Landfills Accepting Category C Prescribed Industrial Waste (PDF, 163KB) and in addition a EPA Publication 1207 - Response to Comments (PDF, 133KB) document that provides EPA's response to issues raised by stakeholders during consultation.

Category C wastes are wastes that pose a low hazard. Further information on the hazard classification of prescribed industrial wastes is provided in the Industrial Waste Resource Guidelines – Solid Industrial Waste – Hazard Categorisation & Management. 

(This guideline replaces Publication 996 – Guidelines for Hazard Classification of Solid Prescribed Industrial Wastes).

At present, low-level contaminated soils and some other low-hazard prescribed industrial wastes (such as food processing waste and foundry sands) are managed at 25 landfills across the State, which are specifically licensed to receive one or more of these waste types. The best practice guidelines establish clear standards for those landfills licensed to receive Category C prescribed industrial wastes. These landfills would, where necessary, need to upgrade in the future to meet best practice standards.

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Landfill policy

The Waste Management Policy (Siting, Design and Management of Landfills) was declared in December 2004. The policy applies to all landfills in Victoria receiving solid non-prescribed waste and/or Category C prescribed industrial waste (such as low level contaminated soil).

The waste management policy (WMP) updates the previous State Environment Protection Policy (Siting and Management of Landfills Receiving Municipal Wastes). Since the State environment protection policy (SEPP) was introduced in 1991, the understanding of the impacts of landfills on the environment has improved, community values and expectations have changed, the institutional arrangements for managing waste have developed and the technological solutions for waste avoidance, reuse and recycling and managing landfills has improved.

The WMP was developed following extensive consultation and reflects these changes and provides a mechanism for the continuous improvement and the adoption of best practice by those responsible for the siting, design and management of landfills. This will enable the protection of the community and the environment from potential adverse impacts arising from the disposal of waste to landfill.

The EPA Publication 968 – Policy Impact Assessment – Waste Management Policy (Siting, Design and Management of Landfills) (PDF, 317KB) provides an explanation of the policy.

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