“Dump and run” has become “stay and pay” for the owner of a truck that got bogged less than 50 metres from a mound of demolition waste illegally dumped next to Oaklands Road in Bulla.
In scenes that went viral in August, a man was left waiting helplessly beside the immobilised truck as Hume City Council, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and EPA Victoria arrived on the scene.
EPA officers measured the waste pile and found it was the same size as the skip bin on the back of the bogged truck. Further inspection showed scraps of material matching the pile were still in the bin.
But despite the evidence, the man denied he or the vehicle had any connection to the dumping.
“He insisted he hadn’t even been driving,” EPA North Metropolitan Regional Manager Steve Riley said. “He told us his boss just happened to pull the truck over at that spot because he was having leg cramps, before mysteriously leaving in an Uber.
“While it was a creative explanation, it was not a convincing one. We have fined the registered owner of the truck and ordered them to clean up the waste. If they don’t comply, they will face further fines and enforcement actions.”
Mr Riley said while the individuals involved in this case appeared comically inept, there was nothing amusing about waste dumping.
“Under Victorian law, all waste must be taken to a place licensed to safely handle it,” he said. Illegal dumping is a crime that makes eyesores of our public places and costs the community millions of dollars a year to clean up.
“The Illegal Waste Dumping Taskforce has zero tolerance for this behaviour and is working hard with councils and partner agencies to put a stop to it.”
The truck’s owner has been fined $2,091 for unlawful deposit of waste under Section 115 of the Environment Protection Act. They were given a Waste Abatement Notice requiring them to take the waste to a facility licensed to receive it.
Mr Riley thanked the members of the public who reported the bogged truck, as well the Hume and NHVR representatives who worked alongside EPA authorised officers.
“Illegal dumping is too big a problem for any one regulator or agency to solve on its own, but working together we can make a huge difference,” he said.
