NT Environment Protection Authority cracks down on illegal dumps after horror inspections

The environmental watchdog has signalled a crackdown on illegal dumps across the Territory after an inspection blitz revealed the issue was far worse than expected.

The environmental watchdog stepped up inspections of unlicensed dumps in the past financial year.

An inspection blitz has uncovered dangerous and toxic landfills across the Territory, with dodgy dumps filled with dead animals, asbestos and chemical waste.

The environmental watchdog stepped up inspections of unlicensed dumps in the past financial year, with investigators reporting the scale of damage was far worse than expected.

The latest Environment Protection Authority annual report said the Northern Territory had lots of unapproved and unlicensed landfills, particularly near remote towns, roadhouses, Aboriginal communities and regional industrial sites.

Chairman Paul Vogel wrote there were 20 dumps inspections in 2021-22 across Katherine, Tiwi, Borroloola and Barkly, East Arnhem, West Daly, Victoria Daly and Alice Springs, with some problematic sites inspected for the first time.

The latest Environment Protection Authority annual report said the Northern Territory had lots of unapproved and unlicensed landfills.

Dr Vogel said there was an assumption many of the sites were “low risk”, however when inspectors arrived they often found high levels of pollution and contamination.

“The usual suspects were waste tyres, industrial metal and building products, whitegoods and e-wastes, listed and hazardous wastes, oils, chemicals, paints,” Dr Vogel said.

“Perhaps most worrying was the discovery of dead livestock and animals, asbestos, sites being set alight as a method of routine management.”

The EPA said at one site there was even signs of metal mining at one of the illegal dumps.

Dr Vogel said one of the biggest ongoing waste issues was tyre dumping.

He said the end-of-life tyres were a home for vermin, would spew out toxic fumes when burnt and could leach contaminants into groundwater.

NT EPA Chairman Paul Vogel said one of the biggest ongoing waste issues was tyre dumping.

“The unlawful disposal, re-use and stockpiling of end-of-life tyres represents a significant environmental and human health risk,” Dr Vogel said.

He said tyre stockpiling was a “national environmental issue”, which was made worse when the Commonwealth banned the export of tyres from Australia in December 2021.

The EPA said it was aware of large stockpiles of tyres, with some commercial-scale illegal dumps facing major investigations.

“Notices have been issued to a number of land owners and occupiers requiring them to address the immediate environmental risks posed by the tyres,” he said.

The annual report said the latest illegal dump inspections would inform future compliance planning and strategies to improve landfill management.

A total of 72 penalty infringement notices were issued by the EPA in 2021-22, with the City of Darwin the worst alleged offender with 17 notices.

But it said there was a reduction in the environmental incidents reported to the Territory’s pollution hotline number, down to 845 from 1001 in 2020-21.

A new online waste tracking project monitored more than 1790 interstate hazardous waste movements to their destination, an average of 5 movements per day.

Originally published as NT Environment Protection Authority cracks down on illegal dumps after horror inspections