A Western Victorian man has been fined $10,000 by the Victorian branch of the Environment Protection Authority Victoria, in addition to thousands in court costs over an illegal waste stockpile.
Steven Landsborough of Maryborough pleaded guilty to charges laid by the EPA in the Maryborough Magistrates Court after failing to comply with an EPA Clean Up notice, and for accepting industrial waste at premises not licensed to accept it.
Magistrate Kelly fined Mr Landsborough $10,000, in addition to the EPA costs of $4260, as well as imposing an order requiring him to clean up the remainder of the waste in order to avoid further penalties.
The case first caught the attention of EPA officers in January of 2018, when they observed significant volumes of industrial waste at the site, which was not licensed to accept waste. He was required to complete the clean up by October of that year, and when the deadline passed, the EPA issued a second clean up notice.
In January of 2019, EPA officers returned to the site and found the waste had not only not been cleaned up, but had been added to. Prior to the court case commencing on 17 February 2021, officers observed that there were still significant stockpiles of industrial waste at the site.
Regional Manager for EPA North West, Dr. Scott Pigdon explained that the EPA takes a zero-tolerance approach to illegal dumping.
“In this case, the operator of the premises had been told that the stockpile was illegal, and he had been given plenty of time and a clear deadline for the cleanup but failed to comply,” Dr. Pigdon said.
“Illegal stockpiling of waste is an unacceptable hazard and any landholder has a duty to understand their responsibilities to the environment and the community,” he said.