Mayors. chief executives and senior staff from councils across the state will travel to Moorabool for an illegal dumping summit later this month.
Moorabool council will host the 30 October summit off the back of its dispute with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) over the clean-up of toxic waste on a property near Bacchus Marsh and ongoing illegal dumping of rubbish throughout the shire.
As reported by Star Weekly, council was forced to spend about $500,000 to remove about 1000 to 1250 dissolved acetylene cylinders on pallets in two trailers parked on the nature strip of 210 Lerderderg Park Road, Merrimu.
An EPA clean-up notice was issued to council, requiring it to remove the waste by 25 July, but council applied to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) for a stay on the order.
The tribunal refused the request on 16 July, ruling that it was in community interest to address the matter urgently.
The council alleges the EPA had the property the trailers originated from under surveillance for at least a year and did not act until the trailers turned up on council-managed land
Mayor Paul Tatchell said Moorabool will share its experience with other council and lead discussions on illegally dumped rubbish, which he said costs hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to clean up;
“We have decided to host a summit with representatives from other councils to determine a collaborative approach and drive shared solutions for this issue,” Cr Tatchell said.
“We’re looking forward to hearing what other councils are experiencing with illegal dumping and what measures they are putting in place to combat this widespread issue.”
Cr Tatchell said council is also continuing to run a campaign targeting illegal dumping in the shire, particularly by builders and contractors coming into the area for work.
