The dumping at Huntingdale train station is classified as household waste. Small scale or household waste deposits with multiple offenders reported to EPA Victoria are directed to council to be dealt with under local laws or by council Litter Prevention Officers. Councils that have Litter Protection Officers can issue litter fines under the Environment Protection Act 1970.
If an offender cannot be found it is the responsibility of the landowner to clean-up the waste.
Members of EPA Victoria’s Strike Force team responds to reports of systematic, large-scale illegal dumping of industrial waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste, tyres and contaminated soils. These reports are made by the community and industry, and EPA works with local councils to gather intelligence to measure and track illegal dumping.
EPA has the power to issue an infringement or fine to the owner of the registered vehicle if they are seen throwing litter out of a vehicle. EPA verifies the details of each litter report against the VicRoads database, if the details match, an infringement is issued. However in order for an infringement to be issued an official report must be made and the action witnessed.
A funding package of $500k has been announced by the Victorian Government to tackle small scale illegal dumping, which includes evidence based research into dumping behaviours to inform interventions to curb dumping.
These interventions include education programs, infrastructure (such as signs and surveillance equipment), enforcement and a map of hotspots for illegal dumping. Enforcement training will also be provided to support local government. This package will support up to 10 councils tackle dumping at well-known hot spots.