Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined Stonnington Council more than $7000 after they were caught dumping industrial waste from a garbage truck in November last year.
EPA received a community report about the incident, which happened on 17 November on Glenferrie Road, Kooyong.
A video recording showed the driver of the council truck pull up on the side of the street and pour liquid waste into a stormwater drain.
EPA Metro Manager, Richard Marks said EPA did not take this incident lightly and issued council with a $7381 fine.
“Unlike sewage, stormwater is not treated before it enters our waterways and anything that ends up in our system flows into our creeks, rivers, bays and ocean and impacts on our environment,” he said.
“This incident should serve as notice to all operators that they need to ensure that their drivers are properly trained and understand their requirements. In this case, Stonnington had no training or procedures to prevent this from happening.”
“The liquid waste should have been disposed of to sewer at the depot, which I understand was only a couple of blocks away.”
“EPA thanks the community for their proactive involvement in this matter and encourages anyone who witnesses pollution to report it to EPA’s Pollution Hotline on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC).”