Our licensing team manages decisions in relation to all EPA licences, including: 

• licence issues 
• licence amendments 
• licence surrenders 
• licence transfers.  

Within this scope, we manage the following landfill-related approvals: 

• notification of intent to construct (a new cell) 
• design 
• construction (53V Audit) 
• major variations 
• lift constructions (addendums to the 53V Construction Audit). 

We also manage licence-related approvals such as assessment of applications to trial the use, and ongoing approval of, alternative daily cover in accordance with landfill licence condition LI_L7.  

Email all enquiries to approvals.applications@epa.vic.gov.au. 

Approval timeframes

This is a summary of EPA’s target approval timeframes as listed in Landfill licensing guidelines (publication 1323). 

Approval stage	Applicable to	Approval timeframe - business days
Notification of intent to construct	New cells	10
Design	New cells/leachate ponds/cell capping	20
Construction (53V Audit)	New cells/leachate ponds/cell capping	20
Major variations	New cells/leachate ponds/cell capping	20
Lift construction (addendums to the 53V Construction Audit)	New cells	10
Licence amendment to add new cell		21 (standard days)
All other landfill licence-related matters		10 (subject to complexity)

Licence amendment following cell construction

After construction of the new landfill cell and submission of the 53V audit report to the licence holder, the licence holder must submit the following to EPA via email approvals.applications@epa.vic.gov.au: 

1. A copy of the audit report. 
2. A list of environmental auditors recommended actions suitably phrased for inclusion in the environmental monitoring program or any additional work. 
3. An application for amendment to the licence to include the landfill cell and associated details. 
4. An updated site plan (in jpeg). This plan needs to depict the newly constructed cell as ‘active,’ as well as ‘closed’ and ‘future’ cells. 

Once we receive these documents, we will assess the construction audit report within 20 business days of receipt. If accepted, we will then immediately commence the licence amendment, which must be completed within 21 days (as per section 20A(5) of the Environment Protection Act 1970). 

Where the construction audit report is accepted, we envisage for most cases that the licence amendment will be completed well before the 21-day deadline. However, we reserve the right to take this long if necessary in order to manage priorities across all licensing applications.  

Best practice guidelines

EPA publication 788 is the source document for best practice environmental management measures for landfills in Victoria. It takes into account the risk landfills pose to the environment and provides a guide for the measures required to meet legislative objectives. 

EPA publication 1208 establishes standards for landfills licensed to receive Category C prescribed industrial wastes. 

EPA publication 1323 is designed to assist landfill operators and environmental auditors with ongoing environmental management of the landfill and with gaining EPA approval for construction of new landfill cells at existing landfills. 

Financial assurances

EPA requires financial assurances for landfills and any sites which accept any prescribed waste for the purposes of reprocessing, treatment, storage or disposal; or which generate and then reprocess, treat, store or dispose of certain wastes.  

More information: 

• Determination of financial assurances for landfills (publication 777) 

Read next

Landfill pollution guidance – overview

Landfills – guidance for business

Landfill guidance and policy documents

Landfill and prescribed waste levies

Landfill licensing updates

Landfill monitoring and audits

Local council self-assessment tool

 

This page was copied from EPA’s old website. It was last updated on 18 December 2018.