Mini vic.gov.au

This is a low bandwidth version of vic.gov.au. Contents may not be up to date. © Copyright State Government of Victoria

About waste to energy

Waste to energy provides an alternative to landfills for most types of residual waste, reducing the state’s reliance on landfills for non-recyclable or non-recoverable waste.

On this page

Waste to energy involves recovering energy from waste materials that are currently destined to go to landfill, and can’t otherwise be recycled, to produce heat, fuel or electricity.

A circular economy prioritises waste avoidance, waste reduction, material use and recycling. Under a circular economy using waste that can’t be recycled to recover energy is a better outcome than disposal in landfill.

Why does Victoria need waste to energy?

In 2023-24 Victorians generated an estimated 14.23 million tonnes of waste. While 70% of this waste was recovered or recycled, an estimated 4.5 million tonnes of residual waste still went to landfill.

Landfills are filling up and Victoria will start to run out of landfill capacity in the mid-2030s.

The Victorian Government is committed to a circular economy and has set ambitious targets to divert 80% of waste from landfill by 2030.

Waste to energy provides an alternative to landfills for most types of residual waste, reducing the state’s reliance on landfills for non-recyclable or non-recoverable waste, and supporting the government’s landfill diversion target.

The Waste the Energy Scheme will support the establishment of waste to energy facilities to:

For more information on Victoria’s waste infrastructure needs visit the Victorian Recycling Infrastructure Plan webpage.

Waste to energy in a circular economy

The Circular Economy (Waste Reduction and Recycling) Act 2021 prohibits recyclable material from being sent to waste to energy facilities. Facilities will be required to demonstrate that they have appropriate controls in place to ensure recyclable material (or banned waste) is not processed.

Waste to energy facilities can improve the recovery of materials that would otherwise go to landfills, like metals and aggregates such as bricks, rubble and glass. These materials make up a significant portion of residual waste. Because these materials do not combust in waste to energy facilities, they can be recovered and recycled or used in construction applications.

To use these recovered materials, permission must be obtained from the Environment Protection Authority Victoria.

Location and community consultation

The Victorian government requires waste to energy facility operators to undertake early and effective community consultation as part of the approval processes for the EPA and relevant planning authorities. These processes also consider the specific location of the proposed facilities.

For more information on planning controls, visit the Department of Transport and Planning website

Environmental requirements

Waste to energy facilities must comply with the Environment Protection Act 2017 and other Victorian legislation that ensure rigorous controls are in place to protect the health of the community and the environment from pollution and waste.

For more information contact the Environment Protection Authority Victoria

Further information

Updated 15 August 2025

About the VIC Government

Grants and programs

Jobs and careers

Arts, culture and heritage

Business and the workplace

Communities

Education and training

Environment, water and energy

Finance and economy

Health and social support

Housing and property

Law and justice

Safety and emergencies

Science and technology

Sport and recreation

Traffic and transport

Working in the Victorian Government