Waste crime is to be a priority for the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) this month, according to newly appointed Chief Executive, Lee Miezis.
Mr Miezis said that in recent weeks the EPA had seen examples of illegally dumped waste with the potential to do great environmental harm.
“I believe the community has no tolerance for such actions and rightly expect EPA to take action wherever it is detected,” Mr Miezis said.
His comment followed two separate court actions in Wodonga where cases of illegally dumped waste and industrial waste incurred clean-up costs of $370,000 and resulted in a local builder, their company, and a Wodonga resident being fined a combined total of $30,000.
Mr Miezis said the community could expect to see more strong regulatory action now that the Authority had established its new EPA Waste Crimes Prevention Directorate to coordinate its efforts against waste crime across the State.
The Chief Executive said the EPA’s regional presence would be strengthened as new regulatory powers and systems improved its ability to detect and prevent pollution and prosecute offenders where pollution occurred “or even had the potential to occur”.
“From 1 July, the new Environment Protection Act will come into force giving EPA far greater powers but also making it everyone’s responsibility to prevent pollution before it occurs,” he said.
“This is a major step forward for all Victorians,” Mr Miezis said.
