A company and its director have received a fine of $10,000 each over the illegal dumping of asbestos waste, and other construction waste.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria charged the company, Hunt Environmental Pty Ltd and its director, Robert Hunt, in the Wangaratta Magistrates Court after the discovery of the asbestos containing waste was uncovered in Everton Upper.
Dallas Clowes, EPA Manager for Major Investigations, explained that a member of the public alerted the EPA to the issue after spotting the waste.
“The company had obtained the waste during demolition work, and the Director admitted to transporting it there for storage and sorting to save money,” Mr Clowes said.
The company had been delivering asbestos remediation services and demolition and environmental services in the north-east of Victoria and southern NSW.
Upon inspection of the site, EPA inspectors found asbestos in plastic bags, building materials, sheet iron, plasterboard and other industrial waste. Following sampling, the material was determined to be asbestos, with almost 800 kilos of ACM confirmed at the site.
The site was privately owned, with the owner not aware of the dumping.
“EPA issued the company with a Clean Up Notice, giving it the opportunity to clean up the mess and avoid a fine, but the deadline passed and the waste had not been removed,” Mr Clowes said.
Both the company and the director pleaded guilty and were convicted. In sentencing, Magistrate Peter Dunn explained that the matter was serious and there was a need for general deterrence in the penalty.
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“There is a clear warning in this for anyone who engages in illegal dumping of industrial waste, that any passing member of the public can easily report it, and EPA will not hesitate to hold the offender to account,” Mr Clowes said.
“EPA takes a zero tolerance attitude to the illegal disposal of construction and demolition materials at sites that are not licensed to receive them,” he said.