The Stawell Magistrates’ Court in Australia’s Victoria found Used Tyre Recycling Corporation Pty Ltd guilty of two counts after the enterprise had failed to act in accordance with an EPA notice; the court ordered the company and its director to pay total fines and costs of $440,000. Used Tyre Recycling Corp will now have to pay a fine of $400,000 and cover costs slightly over $2,900. And Used Tyre Recycling Corporation’s sole director Matthew Starr is forced to pay a fine of $20,000, as well as $16,555.93.

The court´s verdict comes after the corporation and its director operated the 9500 ton Stawell tire stockpile, but was unable to eliminate fire hazards.

EPA chief executive Cathy Wilkinson commented on the Used Tyre Recycling Corporation case saying that the activities of the company and its director were “disruptive to the community” and EPA will continue to pursue offenders that fail to take responsibility and put people and environment at risk.

In June 2015, Used Tyre Recycling Corporation purchased the Saleyards Road property that already had some 1,5 million scrap tires on its territory. At the same time, an EPA notice alerting about the obligatory emergency plan was issued. Later that year, EPA requested from the corporation to stop accumulating new tires at the site and place the accumulated tires in smaller separated piles. After repeated failures to comply with the notice and after receiving a new warning with its deadline being due, Used Tyre Recycling Corporation transferred the Saleyards Road property to a business with Panama registration.

In 2017, EPA took control of the situation at the site and cleared it of 9,500 tons of tires. The clearance procedures required nine weeks.

Article by Stawell Times.