MBC Stage 3 Landfill

Development Licence Application

The MBC site has been used for open-cut mining of brown coal since 1946. In 1978, landfilling was approved and commenced as a method for filling and rehabilitating the mine void. The Calleja Group acquired the site in 1990 and diversified its use to include resource recovery, agricultural activities, and technology to divert materials from landfill.

The original landfill cell, Stage 1, has reached maximum capacity, and MBC is accepting waste in Stage 2. A future Stage 3 is planned to connect to the western face of Stage 1. Filling follows the approved staging plan until each area reaches its approved final waste elevation, after which it is capped and rehabilitated. See below for a map of the three landfill stages, as well as an overview of the Calleja Group’s holdings in the vicinity.

What is being proposed

MBC is currently accepting waste into Cell 8, the third of five total cells comprising Stage 2 of the landfill area. The approved staging is to construct and fill all cells in Stage 2 before moving to Stage 3. However, MBC wants to revise its works approval from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to construct and accept waste into Stage 3 of the landfill instead.

The video below provides an overview of the Stage 3 Development program.

Benefits of re-staging

The decision to submit the Stage 3 Development Licence Application is based on both internal and external factors.

  • The revised order allows the southern portion of the landfill (the most visible section of the landfill from the road) to be capped and rehabilitated 15 years ahead of schedule. Capping helps to contain litter, odour, dust and loose sediment, reducing the risk of runoff entering the adjacent Parwan Creek.

  • The change would bring forward the installation of modern engineered containment equipment consistent with current Best Practice Environmental Management and modern environmental protection standards, strengthening groundwater protection sooner than would otherwise occur.

  • Efficient land use aligns with circular economy principles and Victorian waste infrastructure planning. The proposal makes better use of the existing site footprint, reducing the need to disturb new land and minimising overall environmental impacts. These include:

    • Lower construction impacts

    • Reduced excavation activity

    • Reduced material use

    • Lower embodied carbon

    • Less pressure to expand into new areas

  • The site’s uses have expanded in recent years; for example, we have added a maintenance workshop, and composting and soil conditioning operations. Deferring construction of the two remaining cells in Stage 2 will help ease congestion at points where the same internal roads serve multiple activities. Additionally, the revised order would contribute to on-site safety by minimising the number of trucks and pieces of equipment in close proximity.

If approved, the re-staging will defer the design and construction of the final approved Stage 2 works (cells 9 and 10) until after Stage 3 is at capacity and the rehabilitation program has begun.

Approval process and timeline

To obtain works approval for the proposed changes, MBC is preparing to submit a revised Development Licence Application to the EPA in September 2026. The time from lodgement of the application to operation of the landfill cell is anticipated to be approximately four years, subject to change.

The Star Dam site.

Stakeholder and community involvement

MBC has developed an engagement program to inform stakeholders and the community about the proposed works and seek feedback to be included in the DLA application. While some decisions are fixed (e.g., site location), others can be influenced by community feedback, such as landscaping options, monitoring and reporting preferences, and community benefits.

Have your say

MBC is seeking community feedback on the re-staging proposal and invites you to complete an online survey to express your views. Use the camera on your phone to scan the QR code and access the survey, or visit

www.surveymonkey.com/r/MBC_DLA

The survey will be open until Sunday 9 August 2026.

We are holding community information sessions in July and August to give the community an opportunity to learn more about the plans and ask questions.

Saturday 18 July 2026

9am to 2pm

Darley Market

Darley Park (cnr Fitzroy and Grey Streets)

Thursday 30 July 2026

5pm to 8 pm

The Bacchus Marsh Public Hall (Supper Room)

207 Main Street, Bacchus Marsh

Contact

For more information on the Maddingley Brown Coal re-staging program, download the fact sheets below, or contact us at

mbcfeedback@callejagroup.com.au‍ ‍or by phone on 03 5367 7277

Fact Sheets

For more information on the MBC Stage 3 Proposal, click on the images to download.

For more information on the Stage 3 Proposal, click the image above.

For more information on the Amenity around Stage 3, click the image above.

For more information on the RMMP, monitoring and reporting at MBC, click the image above.

For more information on the Design and construction of the Stage 3 Proposal, click the image above.

Adding the gravel layer (for leachate collection) over cell liners.