EPA orders Hallam waste halt; 265,000-tonne plant pending

By Olivia Hart

Green Sand Recycling’s proposed soil-washing plant at Hallam would process up to 265,000 tonnes of clean fill material a year, but no activity currently takes place at the O’Grady Road site and EPA Victoria has ordered the company to halt waste acceptance.

The 265,000-tonne figure is an application, not operating capacity. The existing operation is a small-scale waste facility, and the business remains an operational registered entity despite the current lack of site activity.

EPA Victoria and Casey Council now actively regulate the Hallam facility after the watchdog found unauthorised waste at the site, including asbestos.

What did the Hallam site accept?

In May 2024, EPA found two truckloads of N120 contaminated soil from Renex Op Co Pty Ltd’s Dandenong South treatment plant at GSR’s Hallam facility. The soil contained brown and white asbestos, which GSR was not authorised to accept.

Residents raised concerns about potential effects on the Hallam Valley floodplain and its freshwater fish populations. Star News reported in September 2026 that EPA had fined Renex $340,000.

An EPA spokesperson said officers had conducted multiple on-site inspections of GSR during the previous year and would continue to “ensure it is acting to return to compliance.”

Takeaway: The May 2024 asbestos delivery is the central compliance breach at the Hallam site.

What must GSR change at O’Grady Road?

EPA notices require GSR to halt waste acceptance and reduce waste volumes to levels authorised under its permits. The agency cited permit A13c and listed authorised volumes of 5 m³ and 5,000 m³.

The notices regulate the existing waste business; they do not authorise capacity for the proposed soil-washing facility.

Takeaway: GSR must halt intake and bring accepted volumes into line with permit A13c.

What would the proposed soil-washing plant contain?

In early 2026, GSR applied to EPA for a development licence to build a medium-scale soil-washing facility. The application seeks approval to process up to 265,000 tonnes per annum of clean fill material, producing uncontaminated natural earth components: sand, gravel, soil and other aggregates.

The application lists:

• A soil-washing plant
• Stockpiling areas
• A water-treatment system
• A sediment basin
• A generator

These elements describe an application, not equipment operating at O’Grady Road today. The 265,000-tonne figure is proposed annual capacity, not current throughput.

Takeaway: The proposal lists 265,000 tonnes a year, but none of that capacity is operating.

Can the proposal clear local planning scrutiny?

Separate from the EPA licence, GSR has applied to Casey Council for a planning permit to use the site as a materials recycling facility. The council will consult the public after it receives further information from the applicant and the application progresses.

Casey’s Manager of Planning and Building, Tania Asper, acknowledged local residents’ concerns. She said the council was considering all relevant planning requirements, environmental risks and external advice.

The two approvals remain separate gates: one concerns EPA development licensing, the other local land use.

Takeaway: Council approval cannot replace EPA licensing, and the EPA licence does not settle local planning.

What do the 140 submissions show?

EPA’s consultation on the development licence ended in July 2026 and drew 140 submissions:

• 107 supported the application
• 25 objected
• Eight supported it with conditions

Support was substantial but not unanimous. EPA says a decision is due in late 2026. The agency says the matter remains ongoing and will keep updating the community as it works to “reduce the potential environmental risk.”

What happens next turns on EPA’s late-2026 development-licence decision; Casey Council’s separate planning permit still awaits further information from GSR.