The state government set up a taskforce to audit recycling centres across the state after the Coolaroo fire, which blanked much of Melbourne with toxic smoke and continued to burn throughout this week.

The Bendigo plant is run by the Endeavour Foundation – a public company that provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities – and national commercial director John Rowe said the organisation had established its own internal taskforce to review its facilities and processes as a result of the Melbourne fire.

“A vehicle refuelling facility has already been removed from the site and a review of the fire safety management plan and fire response equipment is being undertaken to ensure that the facility is in a position to respond to all emergencies,” he said.

“We are working with relevant teams across the organisation, local staff and stakeholders to ensure that our risk mitigation strategies are sufficiently robust.”

The government taskforce will include representatives from the Country Fire Authority and Environment Protection Agency and will audit facilities across the state to “identify and prioritise sites that require action”, targeting “key recycling sites requiring extra management measures”.

EPA chief executive officer Nial Finegan said preliminary discussions had begun this week and the taskforce would soon formally request information from local government, regional waste and resource recovery groups and industry to determine which sites would be visited as a priority.

The taskforce comprises the EPA, CFA, Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Emergency Management Victoria.

In the meantime, state Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced an interim waste management policy that will require facilities to store materials “in a manner that minimises risk to human health and the environment”.

Ms D’Ambrosio said the interim policy would remain in place for 12 months while a more permanent solution was finalised, with the potential for sanctions under the Environment Protection Act for non-compliance.

“We are taking immediate measures to ensure better protections for Victorians and our environment,” she said.

"The Environment Protection Bill 2017, which is currently before Parliament, will further clarify EPA’s role as a protector of human health and the environment."