State Government of Victoria

Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined Brooklyn company Tyre-Lug Services (Barro Group Pty Ltd) more than $7,500 for storing more than 5000 equivalent passenger units (EPU) of waste tyres without an EPA licence.

EPA Metro Manager Daniel Hunt said the large stockpile, which was the equivalent of about 150,000 standard waste car tyres, had been reduced by about half but the company still had work ahead to become compliant with an EPA notice.

“While the company has begun reducing its stockpile, it has not met an EPA deadline to arrange waste tyre stockpiles and maintain stockpile separation distances as required under the Victorian Fire Services’ tyre storage guidelines,” Mr Hunt said.

The company now has until 30 April 2017 to either reduce its stockpile to below 5000 EPU or to obtain an EPA licence.

Mr Hunt said Tyre-Lug Services, a business that re-treads and re-lugs truck and off the road (OTR) tyres, had indicated that it would apply for an EPA licence to store more than 5,000 EPU of waste tyres at its site.

“EPA tightened tyre regulations in 2015 to ensure the Victorian public was better protected from the risk of tyre fires from unsafe stockpiles,” Mr Hunt said.

“The guidelines require premises that store more than 40 tonnes or 5,000 waste tyres to obtain a works approval and licence from EPA, which Tyre Lug does not currently have.”

Mr Hunt said that if the premises, where no fire-fighting equipment was observed near stockpiles, were to catch fire it had the potential to be an environmental disaster.

“Tyre fires can cause major pollution of the atmosphere and are incredibly difficult to extinguish, as was the case when a stockpile caught fire in Broadmeadows last year,” Mr Hunt said.

“Once ignited, tyre fires are very hard to control and generate hazardous smoke. This smoke can cause a health risk to the community through the inhalation of particles and chemicals.”

Mr Hunt said anyone who illegally stockpiled tyres could face a fine of up to $758,350 if prosecuted before the courts.

The notice to reduce the stockpile was issued by EPA following a joint inspection of the site in November 2016 with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and Brimbank City Council.

If the community suspects someone is illegally stockpiling tyres or taking them to a place that cannot lawfully accept waste tyres, they are encouraged to contact EPA’s 24-hour pollution hotline on 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842).

To view EPA tyre regulations, please visit: