Managing odour at Lilydale Food Waste to Energy Facility
What happened?
Investigations identified damage to one of the food waste treatment tank roofs as the cause of odour experienced by the surrounding community. We have completed repairs to the damaged roof.
While the tank was being repaired, our contract partner Delorean who operate the facility couldn’t process food waste. It’s taking longer than anticipated to process and remove the waste that’s onsite and this is the source of ongoing odour.
What are we doing?
We're working with our facility operator, Delorean, to:
- Process and remove remaining waste from the site.
- Introduce additional controls developed in consultation with EPA Victoria.
- Increase odour monitoring.
- Continue additional odour control measures, including water mistersEngage with the community.
We've also temporarily paused new waste deliveries while this work continues.
These actions are designed to reduce odour impacts and minimise effects on neighbouring communities.
What happens next
Our immediate priority is processing and removing remaining waste onsite and implementing additional controls to address current odour impacts.
Once we’re confident the facility can continue operating as intended, we'll progressively and carefully reintroduce waste deliveries.
We're making progress as quickly as possible and we'll continue to keep the community informed as key milestones are reached.
Community drop-in sessions
We know community members may have questions about what's happening at the facility and what we're doing to address ongoing odour impacts.
We're holding community drop-in sessions with members of our management team, where residents can ask questions and receive updates on the actions being taken to reduce odour impacts. No booking is needed.
Location: Lilydale Lake Community Room, 435A Swansea Road, Lilydale
Date: Friday 13 November
Session times:
- 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
- 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Improving long term performance
We're regulated by EPA Victoria and are collaborating with them as we manage current odour impacts and implement improvements.
Like many newer facilities, we've identified opportunities to strengthen performance as we learn more about how the facility operates under different conditions.
In addition to repairing the damaged tank roof, we're introducing additional controls and operational improvements to reduce the risk of future odour impacts.
These include changes to how waste is managed onsite and improvements to odour management processes and controls.
Updates and support
We'll continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to this webpage.
Contact us
If you have questions, concerns or would like to report odour impacts, please contact our Case Management Team:
Phone: 1300 117 080
Email: [email protected]
If you need to contact us in an emergency, you can reach us 24/7 on: 13 27 62
Thank you for your patience while we complete these works. We're committed to restoring normal operations as quickly as possible and minimising impacts on the community.
Frequently asked questions
Why are odour impacts continuing?
While our contract partner Delorean has repaired the original fault, it's taking longer to process and remove food waste than anticipated. This waste is contributing to ongoing odour impacts and removing it is our priority.
What are you doing to address odour?
Delorean is processing and removing remaining waste from the site, implementing additional controls developed in consultation with EPA Victoria and maintaining additional odour mitigation measures.
We’ve also increased odour monitoring and making improvements to reduce the risk of future odour impacts.
Waste deliveries to the site have been paused while we focus on processing and removing remaining waste onsite and implementing additional controls.
When will you start accepting waste again?
The site will gradually start to receive waste deliveries when waste has been removed and we're confident the facility can continue operating as intended.
Are you working with EPA Victoria?
Yes. We're regulated by EPA Victoria and implementing additional controls developed in consultation with them to help reduce odour impacts and strengthen future operations.
Who operates the facility?
The facility is owned by Yarra Valley Water and operated by our contracted facility operator, Delorean.
We're working closely with Delorean to reduce odour impacts, process and remove waste, and implement improvements to site operations.
Who can I contact if I'm affected by odours?
Please contact our Case Management Team on 1300 117 080 or email [email protected] during office hours.
Your feedback helps us understand community impacts and informs our response.