By Luke Voogt
Workers have cleared more than 100,000 cubic metres of rubbish from a notorious illegal tip in Lara.
But another 200,000 cubic metres of waste still remain at the Broderick Road site, with Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) expecting to complete the clean up by 2022.
Project manager Carl Gray said workers had removed all pre-processed stockpiles from the site, including piles of timber, plasterboard, soil and mulch.
The remaining rubbish was spread over two large stockpiles, Mr Gray said.
“We have now finished removing the middle section of one of the two remaining stockpiles, which was made up of about 20,000 cubic metres of rock, brick, concrete and soil.
“Some of this material will be recycled, while the remainder has been taken to landfills licensed to accept the material.
“The rest of the content in the two remaining stockpiles is mixed construction and demolition waste, which will be recycled where possible.”
The EPA aimed to carry out the clean-up safely, efficiently and with minimal impact to neighbouring businesses, the community and the environment, Mr Gray said.
“There are strict controls in place to reduce or eliminate the impacts of noise, dust and traffic, and the removal of all contaminated material adheres to stringent EPA and WorkSafe guidelines.”
EPA was working with various agencies to enhance fire mitigation measures to reduce the likelihood of a blaze at the site.
In 2018 the CFA warned that the site and its then 350,000 cubic metres of highly-flammable waste were a dangerous fire risk.
Former operator David McAuliffe was initially jailed for three months last year after pleading guilty to nine breaches of a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal order.
But he successfully appealed the sentence in June and received an 18-month community corrections order and a $15,000 fine instead.
McAuliffe abandoned the site when his company C&D Recycling went into liquidation and was declared bankrupt.
He died this February as the clean up, funded by taxpayers and Geelong ratepayers, continued.
