Following a period of assessment around its long-term future, Hume City Council has made the decision to permanently cease operations at Sunbury Landfill.
The closure will have no impact on Hume City residents as the landfill is exclusively used by commercial account holders. The Sunbury Resource Recovery Centre remains open.
The landfill initially stopped accepting waste in July 2023 following the move from contractor to Council employed resources, and Council has used this time to seek strategic advice on the viability of running the site into the future.
The feedback received suggests that with a growing push towards a circular economy that encourages recycling, and increasing strategies to divert material away from landfill, the tonnes of waste typically received by Sunbury Landfill will be drastically reduced in the coming years.
The decision to bring forward Sunbury Landfill’s closure, which was originally scheduled to happen by 2030, is in line with the State Government’s aim to divert 80 per cent of material away from landfill.
The target has seen a number of initiatives introduced to, and adopted by, councils across the state, including the Food Organics Green Organics (FOGO) waste system and implementation of the Circular Economy Councils Fund.
Council can now officially begin the process of permanently closing Sunbury Landfill, which is estimated to take up to three years to complete in accordance with Environment Protection Authority guidelines.
This includes the design and construction of final capping and management of any identified risks, and will be followed by ongoing requirements for aftercare, environmental monitoring and management.
The Sunbury Resource Recovery Centre, including the Recycled Goods store, remains operational for residential and public use.
There are also no changes or impacts to the kerbside garbage collection services for residents as a result of the closure of Sunbury Landfill.
