Rural
25 September, 2024
Tyre fires off-limits
Farmers in the Wimmera Mallee are being warned afresh to be careful of what they burn as the weather dries out.
EPA Victoria says nobody wins when people burn the wrong things.
EPA northwest regional manager Paul Ratajczyk said that in recent springs, EPA officers had responded to illegal burn-offs, often finding burnt remains of what was effectively industrial waste.
“We find the partly burnt remains of all sorts of things, like treated-pine posts, grape-vine covers, rack sheets, waste tyres, agricultural plastic, mattresses, hessian and household garbage," Mr Ratajczyk said.
"None of that should have been in the fire.
“It’s damaging to the environment, a hazard to people’s health and a source of smoke that can taint your neighbour’s crop, especially with sensitive produce like grapes.
“It’s also illegal, so you can wind up receiving an EPA infringement notice that represents a fine in the thousands of dollars.”
Burning industrial waste can contaminate land, pollute nearby waterways and create toxic smoke.
“From a human health perspective, smoke from waste burn-offs can have harmful effects on people with asthma or other lung conditions, older people, pregnant women, babies and young children,” Mr Ratajczyk said.
“If you've been stockpiling material over winter, take waste like that to a facility that has EPA permission to accept it.
"Trying to save a few dollars with a back-paddock burn can turn into a financial loss when the fine arrives in the mail.”
Just last year a farmer near Traralgon in Gippsland was fined $1110 after smoke and odour from burning tyres drew attention to his farm.
EPA officers attended the property at Tyers in response to a report from a member of the public.
They found the remains of two piles of burnt waste and a fire still burning in a pit, altogether containing the remains of about 300 litres of burnt tyres.
The waste had been collected during a cleanup of unwanted vegetation and scrap metal, but disposing of it by burning was a breach of the Environment Protection Act 2017.
Anybody who sees illegal burning-off activity is asked to contact EPA on 1300 372 842 or contact@epa.vic.gov.au