Waste tyre depots in Brimbank were put on notice last week as the Environment Protection Authority began random inspections in the lead-up to summer.
EPA metro manager Dan Hunt said used tyre stockpiles in Brimbank, Hume and Whittlesea would be targeted to check whether they complied with tougher rules that limit the volume of tyres that can be stored without an approved EPA licence. The new regulations came into force in April 2015.
The visits follow a large blaze at a tyre recycling facility in Broadmeadows on January 11.
A mountain of about 150,000 burning tyres sent toxic fumes across Melbourne and its dark smoke plume could be seen as far away as the Mornington Peninsula.
More than 100 firefighters and water bombing helicopters were needed to control the blaze, which burned for days.
At the time of the fire, the EPA was in talks with the site’s owner about changing the way the tyres were arranged.
The Broadmeadows site’s tyre pile was 100 metres long, 30 metres high and four metres tall. Under the new guidelines, waste tyres cannot be stored outdoors in a pile larger than 20 metres long, six metres wide and three metres high.
Mr Hunt said four waste tyre storage operators across the three council areas were due to be inspected without warning last week.
He would not name the businesses, but said they had been selected based on internal intelligence and tip-offs from the community.
“A lot of our intelligence is gathered from community,” he said. “If local residents suspect a business is unlawfully accepting tyres, call the EPA’s 24-hour pollution hotline.”
He said the EPA is taking proactive action to avoid a repeat of January’s toxic blaze.
“Tyre fires can also be complex to deal with and potentially lead to significant environmental impacts during and post emergency response. They can also present considerable clean-up costs.”
Mr Hunt said operators found not to be complying with the regulations could face fines of up to $350,000.
