DUMP CLEAN-UP BEGINS
Fire prevention work is under way at Lara recycling facility
TYRES have been sorted and a contractor is preparing to mulch timber stockpiles, as work to remove the first items of waste from Lara’s fire-prone C & D Recycling site begins.
About 350,000 cubic tonnes of material has been left at the Broderick Rd facility, with the business wound up and the director David McAuliffe awaiting sentencing on criminal charges.
Guided by legal orders, land owner The Australian Sawmilling Company (TASCO) has been carrying out a range of fire prevention and clean-up activities on the property.
The measures include:
BUILDING a fire access road to the north of the site; HAVING fire extinguishers, an excavator and water truck with a water cannon on site at all times; and, EMPLOYING 24-hour on-site security that has been given basic fire training and will monitor the heat of composting stockpiles.
In an update yesterday, the City of Greater Geelong said construction of a water pipe and concrete pad for a water tank was also under way.
The council’s planning and development director Gareth Smith said it was pleasing to see action on the site, which has been closed for business since last year.
“These works, part of the rehabilitation and fire prevention plans required by the city, will go a long way to reduce the risk of a fire burning out of control at the site,” Mr Smith said.
“The community can feel reassured that measures are in place to protect the site and surrounding areas from fire, and action is being taken to clean the site up.” The update said tyres had been collected and were ready to be removed, while a contractor was preparing to start work on mulching the large amount of timber.
Authorities have previously said it would take at least a year to reduce the towering stockpiles of waste to manageable levels.
CFA crews were called to the site this week, after a generator started smoking. The problem was quickly managed and the CFA declared the area safe within minutes.