By Ewen McRae
A Ravenhall concrete company has been handed a heavy fine, after being found guilty of dumping industrial waste.
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) prosecuted Economix Pty Ltd after a routine inspection revealed waste running from the company’s Ravenhall property into a drain.
At the Sunshine Magistrates Court last week, the company was fined $10,000 for failing to prevent liquid spills from entering stormwater drains and dumping industrial waste and slurry onto neighbouring land.
EPA Western Metropolitan regional manager Stephen Lansdell said the company had failed to fix the problem after the leak was first detected.
“After initial investigations observed pollution leaving the site, EPA issued a Pollution Abatement Notice (PAN) requiring the company to install controls to prevent its run-off going to stormwater drains,” Mr Lansdell said.
“The next inspection showed the work had not been done.“ A later inspection at another Economix site on Terror Street, Keilor Park, revealed slurry had flowed under a wire fence and formed a 30m x 10m pool on neighbouring land.
“The slurry and piles of loose material, including gravel and stones, had also escaped, which were industrial waste and the neighbouring property was not licensed to accept it.”
The EPA fined the company $8060 for each of the two offences, however the company opted to have the matter heard in court.
The court fined Economix $10,000 without conviction and ordered the company to pay EPA’s legal costs of $1878.
“The court’s decision in this case is a clear message to industry that all businesses must prevent pollution and waste from their premises,” Mr Lansdell said.
“This company had the opportunity to comply with an official notice from EPA … and there were consequences when it didn’t,” he said.
The investigation had begun with a call from a member of the public and involved officers from EPA and the City of Brimbank.
