Hannah Hammoud
Somerton-based recycling company Close the Loop has been hit with a $5,000 fine by the Environmental Protection Authority.
The fine was issued to the company for disobeying an EPA instructions to stop accepting recyclables at its Somerton centre.
The case began in December 2020 when EPA Victoria officers inspected the site at 208 Hume Highway.
The recycling company accepts, stores and reprocesses soft plastics, printer toner-related wastes, batteries and electronic waste, but the EPA found the stacks of material at the site had inadequate separation distances to meet fire safety requirements.
The EPA issued the company with a remedial notice requiring it to stop accepting most types of recyclables until there were the proper separation distances, but further inspections showed the site was still accepting recyclables.
