Council Calls for Transparency After $500,000 Toxic Waste Clean-Up Bill

Moorabool Shire Council’s Mayor Paul Tatchell says three FOI requests have been denied by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria over toxic waste being illegally dumped in the region.

Council now plans to appeal to the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC).

In August, the Council said it paid at least $500,000 (US$330,000) to clean up trailers of dissolved acetylene cylinders, which are highly flammable and filled with asbestos, illegally dumped on public land near Bacchus Marsh.

Tatchell said residents were questioning why they were left with the hefty clean-up bill.

“The EPA had the property the trailers originated from under surveillance for at least a year and had failed to act until the trailers turned up on council-managed land,” he told The Epoch Times.

“Our ratepayers have been slugged half a million bucks to do this work, and the EPA won’t even be transparent with us about how the situation got to this point.

“We’ve stepped up to protect our community and clean up a mess we didn’t make, and they don’t even have the decency to share all the information relevant to this situation with us.”

Tatchell said the Council was not given a valid reason for why its FOI requests had been denied, adding it was aware there were still 1,000 more cylinders on the property near Bacchus Marsh.

“Throughout, we have posed the questions: Why didn’t the EPA issue a disposal order against the landowner?” he said.

“How did the industrial waste suddenly turn up on a Crown road reserve while the EPA was monitoring the situation?”

In response, the EPA said the FOI request was flawed.

“EPA has received one FOI request from Moorabool Shire on this issue. On two occasions, the Council was asked to amend the scope of its request to meet the requirement that it not involve an unreasonable amount of work, which in this case could take several years. The Council’s replies did not meet that requirement,” the EPA Victoria spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“EPA is unable to provide further details, as there is an active criminal investigation still underway.”

Council Targeting Illegal Dumping in the Shire

Meanwhile, Moorabool Shire is running a campaign targeting illegal dumping in the shire.

Council data shows that 76 percent of illegally dumped commercial waste can be traced to an offender outside the region.

Between Jan. 1, 2024, and June 2025, the council’s litter team completed 3,500 jobs collecting litter and illegal dumping.

The collection works cleared beverage containers, household garbage, furniture, and tyres.

Moorabool Shire Council’s Community Safety Team issued infringements to the value of $247,000, catching offenders dumping on surveillance cameras, or utilising evidence found in the dumped waste.

Tatchell said council staff were busy trying to catch illegal waste dumpers.

“We are currently running a campaign targeting illegal dumping in the shire, particularly by builders and contractors coming into the area for work,” he said.

“This includes communications and education around reporting, increased surveillance and more cameras to try to prevent this from occurring.