A man has been charged with murder following the discovery of a woman’s body at a tip in Melbourne’s north.
The 45-year-old, who police say was known to the alleged victim, was arrested and questioned by detectives throughout the day before being charged on Tuesday night.
Workers at Repurpose It found the woman while moving green waste at a facility in Epping on July 3.
Repurpose It chief executive George Hatzimanolis said staff members were left “shaken” after making the discovery.
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that a body was discovered in the FOGO delivery shed at our facility last Wednesday,” he said in a statement.
“Our staff members who made this tragic discovery are understandably shaken, and we are ensuring they receive the support and counselling they need.”
Investigators believe her body was originally inside a domestic bin picked up outside a property in a nearby suburb the previous day.
They identified the address as Hilgay Street in Coolaroo, which has rubbish collected each Tuesday.
Forensic and uniformed offers were seen at a house on Hilgay Street surrounded by police tape on Saturday, when the discovery was made public.
The woman, who is still yet to be formally identified, is believed to be a 67-year-old from Coolaroo.
The accused man has been remanded to appear in Melbourne Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Detectives meanwhile still want to speak to anyone who noticed any suspicious behaviour in Coolaroo from June 23 to July 2.
The discovery of the body is the third time a woman’s remains have been found in a bin or tip in Victoria in recent years.
In March, the remains of 35-year-old Point Cook resident Chaithanya “Swetha” Madhagani were discovered in a wheelie bin at Buckley, southwest of Geelong.
Three years ago, the remains of mother Ju ‘Kelly’ Zhang were found at a landfill in Wollert.
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
With AAP
