MELBOURNE — Environmental groups have accused the waste disposal company Cleanaway of polluting the Moonee Ponds Creek and vowed to fight plans to extend the life of the Tullamarine landfill.

The Friends of Steele Creek claim that the landfill has endangered nearby residents’ health for the past 30 years, and that the creek is dead and contains dangerous heavy metals and carcinogenic materials. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence over 30-40 years of Tullamarine airport workers going home feeling nauseous and high cancer rates concentrated in one area of houses.

The dump was intended to be closed in 2003. Cleanaway now wants to extend the life of the dump, claiming that it has found a safer way to dispose of the waste. However, the Environmental Protection Authority has dismissed the claim, and confirmed that increased sodium and salinity has been recorded around the creek near the landfill.

More than 200 people formed a community action group at a public meeting on February 1. They want the landfill closed and its waste, prescribed waste and PCBs, removed.

Chris Peterson

From Green Left Weekly, February 22, 2006.
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