Dump and burn comes at a cost

EPA Victoria has issued a blunt warning for anyone setting fire to household or industrial waste, after the environmental watchdog issued $10,000 fines for a string of dump-and-burn offences in recent weeks.

EPA executive director operations Rachel Gualano said it was unlawful to dispose of industrial waste by burning, whether it was carelessness, ignorance or a planned criminal act, burning dumped waste was a win for nobody.

"Burning waste that should be recycled or sent to an EPA licensed landfill only pollutes the air with smoke, the land with chemical residue, and nearby waterways with tainted runoff," Ms Gualano said.

"And while those responsible might think they saved the cost of proper disposal, anyone with a phone can report it as pollution, leaving the culprit open to a fine or prosecution, plus an order to clean it up at their own expense," she said.

In recent cases, community members and unannounced inspections by EPA officers exposed evidence of burning waste – in some cases while the waste was still smouldering.

Each company was hit with a fine of more than $10,000 for dump-and-burn offences.

EPA receives more than 26,000 pollution reports from the public every year, and leads the Illegal Waste Dumping Taskforce, a partnership with the Conservation Regulator, Parks Victoria and DEECA that shares intelligence gathering and enforcement capacity to tackle illegal dumping on public land.
To report pollution, call the EPA's 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or provide details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution