A grain storage company and its director operating facilities in Lascelles, Marnoo and Ouyen, has been ordered to contribute to a local CFA and pay costs after a Horsham Magistrates found they had illegally burnt off plastic grain tarps and other waste materials that should have gone to an appropriately licensed facility.
In September 2022, EPA Victoria officers attended the Ag Store Pty Ltd's Lascelles facility in response to a pollution report alleging plastic grain cover tarps were being burnt. They found a pile of smouldering waste containing partially burnt plastic grain covers, drink cans, spray cans, plastic grease cartridges, PVC, glass, an oil filter, tyres, various metal items and a mattress. Burning waste of this type produces air pollution.
A later desktop analysis estimated the volume of burnt waste to be as much as 40,080 litres, roughly equivalent to 80 car boot-loads of waste. EPA issued a notice to clean up the burnt waste, which was complied with, and charged the company and its director, Joel Watson, with offences under the Environment Protection Act 2017.
Entering guilty pleas, Magistrate Bailey placed Ag Store, without conviction, on a 12-month good behaviour bond, and required them to pay a $7,500 donation to CFA Lacelles, plus $1,113 in costs to EPA.
Against Mr Watson (the director),Magistrate Bailey, without conviction, also placed him on a 12-month good behaviour bond, with a $2,500 donation to CFA Lacelles, and ordered him to pay $1,113 in costs to EPA.
