EPA Victoria and Victoria Police this morning attended the addresses of
Gippsland Waste Services in Trafalgar and Towards Zero in Sale as part of an
ongoing joint investigation into alleged breaches against both the Environment
Protection Act and Crimes Act.
As part of the operation search warrants were executed and documents were
seized.
EPA Director of Environmental Regulation Chis Webb said today’s events had been
the culmination of many months of ongoing surveillance and investigation by
EPA’s Strike Force Investigators.
“Evidence we’ve been able to obtain today will enhance EPA’s six-month
investigation into these companies for suspected illegal activity with regard
to a number of landfills and transfer stations in Gippsland,” Mr Webb said.
EPA has worked with Wellington Shire, East Gippsland and Baw Baw Shires. As a
result of today’s operation, local councils have advised that regional waste
services will remain uninterrupted.
EPA's Illegal Dumping Strike Force is a government funded specialised team
dedicated to investigating large scale industrial illegal dumping.
Mr Webb said orchestrated illegal dumping undermined the work of legitimate
operators in the industry costing Victorians more than $13 million a year to
clean up.
The Strike Force focus this year has been to target illegal activity with
regard to the construction, demolition and skip bin hire sectors.
To report industrial dumping and suspected illegal dumping please call EPA's
Pollution Hotline on 1300 EPA VIC.