An Aussie council has exposed a “huge risk” to its residents, revealing about 1,000 expired gas cylinders are being illegally stored on a private property, as it fights an order to pay for the cleanup of about 1,000 more found in two abandoned trucks on an adjacent roadside.
Moorabool Shire Council revealed in videos and photos the extent of the toxic waste abandoned on the property in Merrimu, on the outskirts of Melbourne, prompting calls for an independent investigation.
The revelation comes after the council was recently ordered by Victoria’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to foot the bill for $500,000 worth of the toxic waste, which mysteriously found its way overnight onto council land outside the property earlier this year.
After specialist contractors were brought in to clear the two truckloads of harmful dissolved acetylene cylinders abandoned on the side of a road, the council has revealed the extent of the issue.
A spokesperson told Yahoo News there are still “at least a thousand if not more” of the cylinders, which are highly flammable and filled with asbestos, on the property, prompting fears that more may end up on the council’s doorstep.
Mayor Paul Tatchell said the illegally dumped waste was moved onto council land from the private property after being monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Council claims the toxic waste has been under surveillance since at least last year, and argues EPA had failed to take action.
Moorabool Shire Council says ratepayers are unfairly copping the bill for removing toxic waste. Source: Supplied
Despite the council challenging the order requiring it to clean up the containers of harmful industrial waste in July, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) ruled that the council must perform the cleanup.
“We’ve paid the big bill of half a million bucks to clean up the trailer loads of toxic waste dumped outside a property just outside of Bacchus Marsh, as the EPA said it was unstable and a huge risk to the public for it to remain where it was,” he said.
“The EPA seems in no rush to clean up,” he alleged, as he called for an independent investigation into the abandoned cylinders.
While the EPA told Yahoo News it “is aware of the industrial waste on a private property and has issued notices for its cleanup”, it argued that the waste on private property presents “less risk” than those recently left on the roadside, due to the fact that they are not currently publicly accessible.
Council pleads with state government to ‘contribute’ to waste bill
Frustrated that ratepayers are copping the $500,000 bill, council has issued a plea to Victoria’s Minister for Planning, Steve Dimopoulos, over the dispute.
“The EPA is a government agency, and we were asking for them to contribute to the cleanup bill and to investigate the situation, considering they waited until the toxic waste was on crown land before they acted on it,” a council spokesperson told Yahoo News.
“We have had no response from the Minister or from the EPA. The EPA is responsible for toxic waste on private land, hence we are now asking them to clean up the cylinders that are still sitting on the private land.”
The council continues to bear the costs of ongoing illegal dumping in the region. Last week, it issued a warning to residents and local builders for their part in the illegal dumping crisis taking place on the outskirts of Melbourne.
“Illegal dumping, as well as being costly, spoils our beautiful environment, in that it gets into our open spaces, properties, sporting fields and waterways, meaning the impact is far-reaching,” it told Yahoo.
EPA given ‘greater powers’ to crack down on illegal dumping
A Victorian government spokesperson told Yahoo News it is aware of the impact illegal dumping has on local communities and the government.
“That’s why we have given the EPA greater powers to crack down on offenders, including tougher penalties for repeat offenders,” he said.
“The EPA is working with local governments across the state, along with industry and community to address this issue as part of its Illegal Waste Disposal Program, which aims to disrupt systematic illegal waste disposal.”
Rubbish dumping and littering on public land is illegal, with the maximum penalty for businesses being $3,951,800, or for individuals $800,000 or 5 years imprisonment, or both.
Victorians are urged to report illegal dumping by contacting the EPA on 1300 372 842.
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