A Bulla waste facility has been fined more than $7000 after stockpiles of waste caught fire earlier this year.
The March 16 fire at Veolia Environmental Service’s site on Sunbury Road started in stockpiles of composted material.
An Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) investigation following the blaze found that poor site practices had led to the fire.
The company was fined $7773 for breaching its licence conditions, which require it to ensure waste did not burn.
EPA metro manager Dan Hunt said the stockpiles at the site were too large and a lack of waste rotation had failed to reduce the temperature of the mulched materials to the level necessary to ensure the waste did not self-ignite.
“Fire at a waste site can cause disruption to local communities, can impact on neighbouring properties and the local environment,” Mr Hunt said.
“EPA expects that preventative actions are taken to avoid stockpile fire and that companies have processes in place to ensure compliance.
“This can be achieved through a number of ways, such as management of stockpile levels and internal ventilation.”
Mr Hunt said the EPA would continue to inspect the site to ensure the company was complying with its licence conditions.
