Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has issued a Brooklyn company with a remedial notice after an investigation found poor waste management practices at its site were causing smoke to impact on the local community.
EPA Acting Metropolitan Manager Danny Childs said an EPA inspection of Western Land Reclamation Pty Ltd on Bunting Road in Brooklyn was triggered following reports from the community to its pollution hotline.
“EPA received complaints from Brooklyn residents about burning odours in the area that were drifting into their homes and our officers were able to trace these back to the company’s site,” Mr Childs said.
“Hotspots giving off a burnt smoke odour were found at many locations across the site, which is a breach of Western Land Reclamation’s EPA licence and an offence under the Environment Protection Act 1970.
“The site is a large EPA-licensed landfill operation that can accept solid inert waste, shredded tyre waste, and asbestos waste; however there should be no burning of waste at the site.”
Mr Childs said the remedial notice was just the beginning of an ongoing investigation that would continue to closely monitor the environmental performance of the company.
“This initial notice is for EPA to gain a better understanding of the hotspot problems that exist at the site. We expect to issue subsequent notices to remediate the problem and sanctions could follow,” Mr Childs said.
“EPA expects all licence holders to comply with their strict conditions to ensure that no environmental impacts occur as a result of operations, otherwise they will face the consequences.”
Mr Childs said the current notice required the company to engage a qualified consultant to investigate and determine the location and extent of any hotspots in waste deposited at the site.
“By Friday 29 July Western Land Reclamation must provide EPA with a thorough plan that details the exact position of any hotspots that currently exist on the site,” Mr Childs said.
EPA urges members of the public to continue reporting suspected pollution to EPA on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC) or at
www.epa.vic.gov.au