Fines of up to $100,00 loom for the perpetrators of an illegal dump of hundreds of tyres in Eaglehawk.
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The discovery was made in the small stand of bushland between York Street and McCormacks Road earlier this month.
While locals showed the mound of tyres to the Bendigo Advertiser on Monday, a second appalling find was made – more than 30 used syringes lay scattered across the ground metres from the tyres.
An entire septic tank, a batch of home-brew beers gone sour, couches, slabs of concrete, stolen cars – in the 23 years Alan Hanson has lived on York Street, he has seen all sorts of objects illegally dumped in the bushland behind his Eaglehawk home.
But in the last four days the self-employed electrician has been shocked by two different discoveries made in the block of public land between York Street and McCormacks Road.
On Saturday, while walking his dog Lucky through the stand of ironbark forest, Mr Hanson found a small mountain of tyres – he counted more than 300.
“I’ve seen plenty dumped here over the years but never anything on this scale,” he said. “It’s been getting bigger and bigger… but I can’t believe it’s come to this.”
It was while showing the discovery to the Bendigo Advertiser on Monday Mr Hanson was shocked for the second time. More than 30 used syringes lay scattered across the ground.
Several hundred metres away, on Williams Road, his neighbour Laurie Fitzgerald found about 50 tyres dumped by the old railway line.
Mr Hanson believes the tyres were dumped earlier this month or late last month.
“You can see a customer’s name written on at least one tyre,” Mr Hanson. “It certainly looks like it’s come from a tyre place.”
The Eaglehawk Landfill – which is less than two kilometres away from the illegal dump on McCormacks Road – charges $6 for every tyre it disposes of. So, if a single individual or a business was behind the dump, they saved upwards of $1800 in dump fees.
“Then there’s the $6 surcharge tyre companies charge to remove tyres – so they’ve pocketed two grand of the customers’ money and saved two grand on dump fees,” Mr Hanson said.
But – if caught – the perpetrators may be facing tens of thousands of dollars of fines.
North West Environment Protection Authority Victoria manager Scott Pigdon confirmed to the Bendigo Advertiser the EPA was investigating the incident.
He said the EPA was craking down on “large-scale, systemic illegal dumping,” which he described as a growing problem in Victoria.
He said in 2015 the state government committed $7.5 million to support EPA’s Illegal Dumping Strikeforce until 2018.
The program focuses on reducing illegal dumping of industrial waste through intelligence gathering, compliance and enforcement, and behaviour change.
“Large-scale, systemic illegal dumping is a growing problem in Victoria – EPA, as the state’s environmental regulator, is committed to working with industry, government organisations and the community to reduce illegal dumping to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all,
- North West EPA manager Scott Pigdon
In August 2015, the EPA fined an the owner of a Bendigo gardening business more than $1700 for collecting industrial waste from a local hotel then dumping it in the Greater Bendigo National Park.
In December last year, a Gippsland-based business was fined a total of $100,000 for illegally dumping industrial waste following an EPA investigation.
Two directors, a former general manager, a truck driver and the Gippsland Waste Services Pty Ltd (GWS) – now known as Sort Worx Pty Ltd – were convicted and fined a total of $100,000 for illegally dumping industrial waste in south-east Victoria.
Report illegal dumping to the EPA via their pollution hotline: 1300 EPA VIC.
