Moorabool council has hit out at the state’s environment minister for not responding to a request for help covering the clean-up bill associated with the removal of toxic waste dumped on Crown land.
An Environment Protection Authority (EPA) clean-up notice was issued to council requiring it to remove a toxic waste on the nature strip of 210 Lerderderg Park Road, Merrimu.
Council requested a stay on this order at a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) as it was not the source of the illegally dumped waste or responsible for it or its storage.
Council argued the EPA should take responsibility for the clean-up but the tribunal refused the request.
VCAT had suggested council and the EPA enter into a cost-sharing agreement, but the EPA said that was not possible.
Council wrote to Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos to highlight the issue.
In a August 12 Facebook post, council said it had not heard from the minister.
“Crickets – that’s what we’ve heard from the minister as we ask for help to pay the whopping $500,000 bill slapped on council to clean up trailer loads of toxic waste dumped on public land on the EPA’s watch,” council wrote.
A state government spokesperson did not answer questions from Star Weekly about whether Mr Dimopoulos would respond to council and if the government would assist with the clean-up bill.
