EPA: TIP CLEAN-UP BIGGEST JOB WE’VE FACED
THE mountains of largely flammable waste abandoned at the former Lara tip is “bigger” than anything the Environment Protection Authority has ever seen in Victoria, the watchdog has revealed.
The EPA has made the stunning admission as it prepares to begin a three-year clean-up of the former tip — expected to cost more than $100 million.
C & D Recycling abandoned an estimated 350,000 cubic metres of waste at the Broderick Rd site when it shut in December, 2017, with the mountainous pile deemed a “catastrophic fire risk” by the CFA. C & D was declared insolvent last year, with landowner TASCO placed into liquidation shortly afterwards.
The State Government took over the $100 million clean-up of the towering tip in April, with taxpayers having already stumped up $30 million to begin clearing works.
The EPA’s southwest regional manager, Carolyn Francis, said that planning was under way for the monumental clean-up, which was unlike anything previously seen by the environmental watchdog.
“The final removal of an estimated 320,000 cubic metres, or hundreds of tonnes, of mixed waste may take up to three years,” Ms Francis said.
“It is not just the sheer size of the stockpile that is challenging, it is the mix of construction and demolition waste, including timber, concrete, bricks, plaster, glass and ceramics, and the fire and contamination hazards the stockpile can still present if it is not carefully managed.
“This operator has left a mess at the site bigger than anything we have previously seen in the state for this kind of waste. This will be a long and complex clean-up to deliver.”
The watchdog is set to begin carting away some waste in coming weeks, Ms Francis said.
“We hope to begin moving some of the already-sorted materials like timber and mulch within the next few weeks and we will continue to keep the community informed along the way,” she said.
“The careful planning will also allow EPA to maximise recovery of recyclable materials, keeping costs as low as possible and minimising the amount of landfill space used.
“Once work begins, people can expect to see a greater number of trucks entering and leaving the site. There may be some dust once the excavators begin work, but we will have mitigation measures in place to keep that to a minimum, along with continued measures to manage any potential fire risks.”
A community information session regarding the clean-up project is expected to be held by the EPA next month.
Both the EPA and the State Government have signalled it will seek to recover costs associated with the clean-up.
The City of Greater Geelong is managing fire risk measures at the former tip, including around-the-clock security, secure fencing and maintenance of firefighting equipment.
In June the bankrupt former tip boss, David McAuliffe, dodged jail time after appealing a sentence for his role in putting Geelong’s northern suburbs at risk of a “catastrophic” fire.
McAuliffe received a threemonth jail sentence in February for ignoring orders to keep safety machinery at his Broderick Rd site to prevent a large-scale fire.
He spent just one hour in the cells before being bailed to launch an appeal.
County Court judge Gregory Lyon in June instead placed McAuliffe on an 18-month community corrections order with 300 hours’ unpaid community work, a $15,000 fine and ordered him to pay $38,647.20 for the cost of the City of Greater Geelong’s legal proceedings.