While the state government has waived the EPA levy for eligible bushfire waste, residents will now be required to pay a gate fee, which covers council’s costs to operate the service, including staffing, handling, transport and disposal.
A Domestic Bushfire Waste Gate Fee of $47.32 per cubic metre will now apply from July 1 for general bushfire waste taken to the Resource and Recovery Centres by affected residents.
Loads of bushfire waste exceeding three cubic metres and loads of building rubble (containing bricks, concrete, soil) will continue to be directed to the Alexandra landfill where the appropriate fees will apply and the EPA levy will be removed.
Council has been advocating for the free waste disposal program to be extended until June 30, 2027 to give residents more time to safely clear homes, sheds, fallen trees and fire-damaged vegetation.
Murrindindi Shire Mayor Damien Gallagher said council welcomed the EPA levy waiver but remained concerned that residents would still face out-of-pocket costs during recovery.
“Waiving the EPA levy is a positive step, but it does not make waste disposal free for our fire-impacted residents,” Cr Gallagher said.
“People who have lost homes, sheds, fences, trees and vegetation are now being asked to pay gate fees to continue cleaning up after a disaster they did not ask for.
“Six months is simply not long enough for many residents to complete this work, particularly when clean-up involves not only homes, but sheds, outbuildings, fallen trees and large amounts of fire-damaged vegetation.”
The free bushfire recovery waste disposal program at council facilities has provided important practical support for fire-impacted residents as they work through the long and difficult process of clearing their properties.
Council says many residents are still only beginning, or are yet to begin, the full clean-up process because of access issues, insurance processes, safety concerns, housing pressures and delays in broader recovery programs.
More than 290 Murrindindi property owners registered for the state government’s on-site clean-up program; however, almost two thirds are ineligible and have had to make their own arrangements, placing greater pressure on council facilities and on households already carrying significant recovery costs.
Cr Gallagher said Murrindindi residents deserved the same level of post-disaster support provided to other Victorian communities.
By the end of June 2026, council expects to have received about 14,000 tonnes of bushfire debris at its landfill ‒ equivalent to about seven years’ worth of landfill in just a few months, placing significant and unplanned pressure on local infrastructure and resources.
