A Campbellfield waste tyre recycler is facing 54 EPA Victoria charges for allegedly continuing to accept waste tyres from interstate despite an EPA Notice ordering them to immediately cease the practice.

ELT Recycling Australia Pty Ltd and their director Shasha Wang were served with the charges on 20 September 2024 alleging breaches of their permit conditions as well as the conditions of an Improvement Notice that was issued on 14 February 2024.  The Notice specifically ordered that ELT stop importing waste tyres.

Failure to properly record the transport of waste tyres or comply with an EPA Notice is an offence under the Environment Protection Act 2017.

According to the EPA charges, more than 100,000 waste tyres were imported from interstate between 3 April 2023 and 15 February 2024 despite ELT Recycling’s permit, issued for one year from 3 April 2023, only allowing the importation 2,000 waste tyres.

“Disposal of waste tyres must be done according to the regulations and they cannot be imported from interstate without proper permissions. EPA will allege that this would have been or should have been known to ELT and that they have not acted appropriately in bringing in such a large volume of tyres in breach of their licence and in contravention of the EPA Notice which is a legally enforceable direction,” said EPA Chief Investigator Greg Elms

“The charges will now proceed to Broadmeadows Magistrates Court on 26 November 2024.”