An Albion retirement village is considering installing security cameras to deter illegal rubbish dumping on its land after it was forced to pay to have dumped asbestos removed last week.
Federation Village Sunshine, based in Ballarat Road, Albion, contracted a licensed asbestos removalist to take away about 12 sheets of the potentially disease-inducing building material last Thursday that had been discarded in long grass on its property.
Manager Graham Gough said the company is fed up with having to clean up after people who treat land that forms part of a transmission line easement as a rubbish tip.
The land, which backs onto Norwood Street, is an ephemeral wetland and home to native grasses and wildflowers.
“This is an ongoing problem for us, being both costly and time-consuming to clean up after dumpers,” Mr Gough said.
“We will be looking at installing CCTV surveillance to monitor the entrance to the site.”
Brimbank council contacted Federation Village Sunshine to ensure the hazardous materials were promptly removed after a tip-off from an Albion resident.
Brimbank’s city development director Stuart Menzies said Federation Village had acted quickly to get the asbestos removed.
An Environment Protection Authority Victoria spokesman said Brimbank and Hume were the two councils most affected by the illegal dumping of asbestos in the state.
To combat the widespread problem, the EPA has set up a “strike force” program that responds to reports of large-scale illegal dumping from the community. Members also work with local councils to gather intelligence to measure and track illegal dumping and identify the culprits.
Under section 27A of the Environment Protection Act 1970, any person who dumps or permits the inappropriate disposal of industrial waste at a place that can’t lawfully accept it faces a fine of more than $7700, or up to $777,300 if prosecuted.
To report suspected illegal dumping, call 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC).
