Hume council will tackle in the Supreme Court a Somerton business that has been amassing stockpiles of waste.
The council claims the business owners have been operating “an old-fashioned tip” since April last year, without a planning permit.
Ecotec Woodwaste occupies the rear of a large block on the eastern side of the Hume Highway. Company director Gene Skliar says Ecotec is a refuse disposal company that collects commercial and organic waste and burns it at a very high temperature in a machine.
He argues the activity does not require a planning permit, but the council disagrees, claiming the business recycles building materials, which requires a permit.
The business’s activities have recently been the subject of a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hearing, which in late March ruled in the council’s favour and classified the company as a materials recycling business.
Ecotec’s activities were brought to the council’s attention when a large fire broke out in one of the waste piles on September 17 last year, requiring 30 fire fighters to extinguish the blaze.
Fire continued to smoulder for two weeks afterwards, prompting neighbouring Honda Australia employees to complain to the council about irritated eyes and throats and respiratory problems due to smoke.
VCAT deadline
The council demanded that Ecotec clean up its site and requested an enforcement order from VCAT to force the business to stop operating.
On March 30, VCAT ordered Ecotec to provide the council with a waste removal plan and to have the 10-metre-high piles of waste removed before June 30. But, as of last week, piles of timber architraves, roof tiles and tree trunks remained. Ecotec is also the subject of an Environment Protection Authority investigation. The EPA has issued two pollution abatement notices and one statutory clean-up notice to the business.
EPA regional services executive director Damian Wells said these notices had been breached. He said the company had previously been caught skirting its responsibilities to Greater Dandenong council.
Mr Skliar said things turned sour with Hume council when he refused its offer to buy his refuse disposal technology. But the council has labelled his claims as false.
Hume’s city sustainability director, Kelvin Walsh, said he looked forward to seeing Mr Skliar’s evidence when the matter is brought before the Supreme Court next month.
Mr Skliar said his company was in the process of applying for a permit.
“We’re not going anywhere and they had better get used to us,” he said.
“We are in demand for our services.”
