Standing atop of a giant pile of rubbish that has been covered in sand, mayor Anthony Marsh knows he has a problem.
About 25 truckloads of household waste a day is dumped at the tip in Rye, on the Mornington Peninsula.
But it is running out of space, and quickly.
"We've got two to three years left, and there's one at Hallam that has four to five years left, and then we're done," he said.
At that point, in just five years' time, there will be no space in landfill across Melbourne's sprawling south-east, home to millions of people.
"We need an alternative, we need to find a better way to deal with our waste," said Mr Marsh, the Mayor of the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
He said the problem was the biggest decision facing councils across Melbourne's south-east.
But a plan to develop an alternative landfill in the area is looking shaky, with more than half the councils either rejecting or deferring a decision on the proposal.
Councils divided on proposal
A group of 15 councils from across Melbourne's south-east set up the South East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing company in March 2020.
So far, the company has shortlisted three groups keen for the tender to develop an alternative to landfills in the area.
But several councils are not keen to sign a 25-year contract, which includes guaranteeing a minimum amount of waste.
The ABC understands Stonnington, Glen Eira, Boroondara, Monash, Manningham and the Mornington Peninsula councils have all voted against the deal — at least for now.
Bayside, Whitehorse, Yarra Ranges and Casey all support the deal, while Frankston and Dandenong are due to vote on it next month.
Mr Marsh said the Mornington Peninsula council was concerned about a lack of transparency regarding what technologies would be used, and the fact councils were being asked to underwrite the project.
"But we don't know what that liability is, and for the ratepayer that is a significant risk."
He said the deal could be valued up to $1 billion. He wants the state government to contribute to guaranteeing the project.
Plan sends wrong message, mayor says
Closer to the city, the Glen Eira council is one of the few to have debated the plan in public at its meetings.
Mayor Jim McGee said his mind was made up during the passionate debate among councillors, and voted against the proposal.
He said it was important to show residents the council was serious about reducing waste, and signing up to a 25-year deal with minimum waste requirements sent the wrong message.
But he said the council needed to find an alternative, and fast.
"In a few short years, our tip will close and we need to plan now," he told the council's February meeting.
"Our alternative is to move everything across the west gate bridge to the western suburbs ... and any extra charge will be incurred by residents."
Councillor Simone Zmood voted against the proposal, and said she was concerned about the environmental impacts of waste-to-energy solutions — a method often used by alternative landfills — where rubbish is burned to generate electricity.
There are already some waste-to-energy facilities around Melbourne, and supporters say it is a productive way to dispose of rubbish that would otherwise be buried, releasing methane into the atmosphere.
But opponents say it creates a market for rubbish, rather than reducing it as much as possible, and burning waste can also release harmful gases.
'This reliance on landfill can't last'
The chair of South East Metropolitan Advanced Waste Processing, Mick Cummins, is also the chief executive of the Bayside City Council, which supports the deal.
He said in a statement the plan was vital to the future of waste management in the south-east of Melbourne.
"This reliance on landfill can't last."
He said the 15 councils had been given the chance to consider their involvement at each stage of the procurement process.
"SEMAWP Pty Ltd respects the decision of those councils who have chosen to opt out and will continue to work with our partner councils to ensure a fantastic outcome for the community," he said.
It is not yet clear what will happen to the deal if councils cannot come to agreement.
