On Melbourne’s suburban fringe, plans have been quietly taking shape that will change how Victoria deals with its rubbish. Last Wednesday, seven waste-to-energy plants were given the green light, in addition to four already approved – a total surpassing the rest of the country combined.
Together, the new projects will have a licence to burn through 2.35m tonnes of rubbish a year – more than double the 1m-tonne limit the Victorian parliament set when it first legislated the waste-to-energy scheme in 2022.