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A Lockwood man who illegally dumped hundreds of tyres, and the business owner who asked him to dispose of the rubbish, have both been fined by the Environmental Protection Authority.
The men received $1820 penalties for not disposing of the unwanted goods correctly, instead leaving the waste on land between York Street and McCormacks Road in Eaglehawk.
EPA northwest regional manager Scott Pigdon said officers from his agency found about 200 tyres at the site in March, along with couches, syringes and steel drums.
Inspection of the trash led investigators to a scrap metal recycling yard in Bendigo, with the business’ operator identifying a man paid $700 to dispose of the tyres.
The dumper admitted to the offence when interviewed by the EPA.
Mr Pigdon said both individuals were fined for dumping or permitting waste be dumped at an unlicensed site.
“This is abhorrent behaviour by someone who admitted to committing an illegal offence just so he could make quick money,” he said.
“It also serves as a stern reminder that waste producers also have an obligation to dispose of waste correctly, and this case shows the cheaper option is not always the smarter option.”
But the EPA fines fall far short of the $100,000 penalty given last December to a Gippsland business illegally disposing of industrial waste.
Eaglehawk resident Alan Hanson, who raised the alarm about illegal dumping in his neighbourhood, said the penalty was not enough to stop it happening again.
“The fine hasn't covered the cost of the clean-up,” he said.
“It's no more expensive than what the dumping fee would've been.
“There's no incentive to use the tip.”
Cleaning up other people’s mess was an expensive exercise, with Mr Pigdon explaining Parks Victoria and Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning were called in to tidy the site.
The City of Greater Bendigo was tasked with removing the used syringes.
In March, Mr Pigdon described illegal dumping as a “large-scale, systematic” problem in central Victoria that had prompted the state government to fund a dedicated EPA task force.
He encouraged the community to continue reporting illegal dumping by phoning the EPA on 1300 372 842.