www.greaterdandenong.com
or scan here
Houses are less than 800m from the tip – use at your discretion
There will be other candidates standing for election – you
can find out who at: www.vec.vic.gov.au/Candidates/State2014CandidatesSummary.html
If you live near the tip you live in the District of Carrum,
Dandenong or Narre Warren South so please search for the
candidates in the electorate where you will be voting.
You have a right to know their views on the Lyndhurst tip so
RATWISE says ask them and only vote for a candidate who
commits to closing the tip AND gives a timeline for closure
AND is committed to the development of a hazardous waste
management policy!
About RATWISE
Residents Against Toxic Waste in the
South East - RATWISE is a community
group dedicated to closing the Lyndhurst
tip and the location of a new site away
from where people live and work.
RATWISE is an incorporated organisation
established in 1999 and, since our
inception, most of our efforts have been
aimed at stopping the dumping of toxic
(hazardous) waste at the Lyndhurst tip.
If you want to join, please visit us at:
www.ratwise.org.au
Heavy rains increase the risk to residents
Written and authorised by Thelma Wakelam, 111 Perry Rd, Keysborough.
Printed by Dynamite Printing, 14-16 Cyber Loop, Dandenong South. CLOSE
Lyndhurst
toxic tip
Residents are sick of living next door
to a toxic tip and it’s time for it to go.
Protesting in 2002 – we have waited long enough. Close it now!
The Lyndhurst tip commenced operating as a municipal landfill
in October 1990 on a site that was previously a sand quarry.
The site was then in a rural area with residents living nearby
and market gardens and cattle grazing across the road. In
December 1990, the operators of the tip applied to take
hazardous waste, known as prescribed industrial waste (PIW).
In 1992, the tip was extended into the site next door creating
an area of approximately 54 hectares for waste disposal. It
was around this time that local residents became aware that
hazardous waste was being disposed of at the tip. This was
permitted by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The Lyndhurst tip is Victoria’s only waste disposal facility for
higher-level hazardous waste yet it is located in the middle of
our neighbourhood.
Dandenong has one of the highest rates of cancer and
respiratory illness in Victoria. Is that a coincidence?
The Lyndhurst toxic tip operates close to schools and childcare
centres and people work in businesses right up to the
boundary of the tip.
Residents have called for the closure of the Lyndhurst tip
for decades and for the location of a new hazardous waste
facility away from where people live and work. Yet successive
governments have done nothing to establish a new site. They
continue to take the easy way out and allow hazardous waste
in our neighbourhood! Would this be happening in Brighton or
Toorak?
Can you see your home? This tip
is too close to schools, houses,
businesses and childcare centres
It’s ridiculous that Victoria’s only toxic waste tip is in the heart
of a huge residential neighbourhood.
RATWISE is sick of government’s inaction and we want
candidates for the State seats of Dandenong Carrum and
Narre Warren South to tell us when the tip will close and
commit to develop a hazardous waste management
policy so that no other Victorian has to live with the health
hazard we have endured.
Can it really be unhealthy to live near the Lyndhurst tip?
Yes! Hazardous wastes have the potential to harm people’s
health and well-being and to harm our environment.
Residents living near the tip have complained about bad
odours and health problems for years. They have complained
about breathing problems, sore throats and having to seek
medical attention.
Due to the concerns about emissions from industries,
specifically the Lyndhurst tip, RATWISE and the City of
Greater Dandenong council pressured government for a
health study but when undertaken it was found Dandenong
fared no worse than other areas. RATWISE disagrees with
the findings and higher incidents of health problems were
explained away. To read more about this study visit
www.ratwise.org.au/dandenong
It’s election time – what can I do now?
RATWISE urges you to vote for a candidate who has a plan
AND a timetable to close the Lyndhurst tip and one who will
insist on the development of a hazardous waste management
policy.
Recently, the City of Greater Dandenong has written to Liberal,
Labor and Green candidates asking them for their views on
the toxic tip. The City has set up an election page on its
website. Council has announced its intention to post
candidates’ responses on the webpage so please visit
and see what your candidates say.