EPA attended a site in Rendell’s Road Numurkah after receiving a community pollution report about burning tyres producing black smoke.
EPA officers found no tyres were being burnt, but agricultural plastics, packaging and building/demolition waste materials were on fire and causing black smoke.
Other industrial wastes had also been deposited at the site including concrete/demolition materials and drums containing oil.
The fire was unattended at the time. EPA called the CFA who arrived and extinguished the fire.
EPA is investigating offenses relating to the mishandling of industrial waste materials at an unlicensed site.
EPA is working with the site owners and will serve remedial notices for the burnt material and industrial waste and any impacted soils.
“The right way to handle these materials is to take them to a transfer station or materials recycling facility, or to landfill for appropriate disposal,” said EPA North East Manager Clare Kiely.
Fines in excess of $7,000 or prosecution apply for discarding industrial waste (i.e. burning) or depositing or dumping industrial wastes as sites not licensed or permitted to receive them.
Pollution of the air is also an offence under the Environment Protection Act.