The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined a concrete, aggregates and concrete products supplier after they allowed concrete dust and slurry to escape onto streets near their Footscray premises.
The EPA has fined Holcim (Australia Pty Ltd) $3698 after EPA officers attended the Footscray premises on Sims Street and saw trucks leaving the site and tracking the slurry along Sims Street and into Dynon Road.
EPA west metro regional manager Steve Lansdell said any rain event would run the waste down the storm drains and then out to the Maribyrnong River.
“Concrete had solidified on kerbsides and will affect that local area for some time,” he said.
“The Holcim website has many examples of where the company prides itself on being a good corporate citizen and points to multiple environmental and community projects.
“We expect them to lift their game and we will be monitoring their future performance.”
Mr Lansdell said the EPA has issued an environmental action notice, which requires the company to install further controls by Tuesday, June 6.
“It’s everyone’s duty to act to prevent harm to the environment and Holcim was not doing that,” he said.
“If EPA officers had not been so quick to act, we could have seen a far worse outcome.”
