Landfill licensing approvals process

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 (s208 environmental audit)	New cells/leachate ponds/cell capping	20
Major variations	New cells/leachate ponds/cell capping	20
Lift construction (addendums to the construction audit)	New cells	10
Operating licence amendment to add new cell		42 business days
All other landfill Operating licence-related matters		10 (subject to complexity)

How to submit a landfill-related request

To submit a landfill-related request:

Navigate to the EPA portal
Log in to your account/create an account.
Navigate to the “Landfill cells” section of the portal which is contained in the “Applications” dropdown menu.
Select “Start request” and proceed to complete the request form.
Once you have completed the form, select the Submit option.

Once the landfill-related request has been submitted, a Permissioning Officer will contact you to confirm the submission.

Operating licence amendment following cell construction

After construction of the new landfill cell and submission of the s208 environmental audit report to the operating licence holder, the operating licence holder must submit the following to EPA via the EPA portal.

A Landfill cell approval equest which contains:
1. A copy of the audit report.
2. A list of the environmental auditor’s recommended actions suitably phrased for inclusion in the environmental monitoring program or any additional work.
An application for amendment to the operating licence to include the landfill cell and associated details. This application should include:
1. An updated site activity plan (in jpeg). This plan needs to depict:
  - the boundary of the works approval/ development licence approved area
  - the newly constructed cell as ‘active,’ as well as the status of all other ‘active’, ‘closed’ and ‘future’ cells
  - All leachate and landfill gas treatment infrastructure
  - All groundwater, leachate sump and landfill gas monitoring points
  - stormwater storage ponds and off site discharge points; and
  - a scale, legend, heading, operating licence number etc.
2. An updated contour plan, if the previous plan depicted cell activity status
3. Available and future airspace at the landfill. This includes:
  - Airspace available at existing cells and the newly constructed cell
  - expected airspace available in all future EPA approved landfill areas, and
  - Whether any existing cells are full and can be removed from the licence (given cells that have reached the approved pre-settlement contour plans require to be rehabilitated within 2 years).

Once EPA receive these documents, EPA will assess the construction audit report within 20 business days of receipt, unless further information is required. If accepted, we will then immediately commence the operating licence amendment, which must be completed within 42 business days (as per section 57(5) of the Environment Protection Act 2017), unless further information is required which pauses the statutory clock.

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 reportable priority waste for the purposes of reprocessing, treatment, storage or disposal; or which generate and then reprocess, treat, store or dispose of certain wastes.

The operating licence holder is required to provide and maintain the amount of financial assurances for landfills as per EPA Publication 2003, Calculation of financial assurance for landfills, reportable priority waste management and waste and resource recovery facilities.

EPA requires an environmental auditor to assess the landfill financial assurance estimates prepared by the operating licence holder covering three components - operating, closure and aftercare. The Landfill financial assurance calculation assessment form (form F1014) must be completed by a suitably qualified environmental auditor.

The operating licence holder is required to maintain an updated financial assurance. The addition of a new landfill cell requires the licence holder to provide an updated Landfill financial assurance calculation assessment form (form F1014) completed by a suitably qualified environmental auditor that considers the new cell volume, when applying to amend the operating licence following new cell construction.

Refer to financial assurances for more information.

For enquiries relating to the landfill licencing approval process, email permissions@epa.vic.gov.au.