Broadmeadows company Tyre Crumb Pty Ltd and its director have been fined $7,000 after pleading guilty to charges from EPA Victoria over stockpiles of old tyres, electronics and mixed waste.
EPA charged the company and Director Steven Matousis after ordering them to fix inadequate containment of chemical spills and waste stockpiles that were too big and too close together.
EPA Executive Director Mark Rossiter says the case sends a clear message to all businesses handling waste.
“Licence conditions, regulatory notices and Victoria’s Combustible and Recyclable Waste Management (CWRM) rules are there to protect the community and the environment,” Mr Rossiter said.
“Ignoring them won’t get you out of cleaning up or fixing the problem, but it can leave you with a heavy fine and a criminal record,” he said.
The court did not record a conviction for either, but ordered the company and its director to pay EPA Victoria $12,136 in legal costs.
EPA officers inspecting the site on Maygar Boulevard, Broadmeadows, found:
- A chemical leak with no system to stop it reaching stormwater drains or waterways
- Piles of waste tyres more than twice the size that would require EPA approval, and
- Piles of electronic waste (e-waste) that were too large and too close together – one was 14 metres long, more than 4 metres wide and up to 6 metres high
The company pleaded guilty to 19 charges including:
- Storing waste and discharging waste without a licence
- Failing to comply with an EPA notice
- Disobeying the conditions of an EPA licence
- Storing industrial waste in contravention of rules, and
- Failing to take steps to manage priority waste
Director Steven Matousis pleaded guilty to 19 charges that included:
- Causing an environmental hazard
- Contravening the requirements of an EPA notice
- Storing industrial waste in contravention of rules, and
- Disobeying the conditions of an EPA licence
Victoria’s Combustible and Recyclable Waste Management (CWRM) policy includes measures to minimise fires, with limits to stockpile size and height, and requirements for stockpiles to be kept at safe distances from buildings, property boundaries and other stockpiles.
The Environment Protection Regulations 2017 specify that any premises with more than 40 tonnes or the equivalent of 5,000 waste passenger car tyres must have an EPA approval or licence.
Businesses can find EPA advice on CWRM here epa.vic.gov.au/for-business/find-a-topic/manage-industrial-waste/crwm
And advice for anyone storing waste tyres advice is here: epa.vic.gov.au/for-business/find-a-topic/manage-industrial-waste/waste-tyres
