Nearly $30,000 has been spent cleaning up a single illegal oil dumping incident in Tasmania’s north-west, as the state’s forestry agency warns hazardous waste is increasingly being abandoned in public production forests.
Sustainable Timber Tasmania says petrochemicals, asbestos, tyres, vehicles and clinical waste are among materials being dumped on permanent timber production zone land across the state.
The recent oil dumping incident triggered a major clean-up, with crews using absorbent materials to stop the spill spreading into soils, vegetation and drainage lines.
Over the past three financial years, illegal dumping has cost the agency an average of $39,000 a year to inspect, manage and remove.
The single oil incident accounted for almost $30,000 of clean-up costs on its own.
Suzette Weeding, general manager of conservation and land management at Sustainable Timber Tasmania, said the dumping was draining resources.
“Illegal dumping places a growing strain on Tasmania’s public forests and the resources required to manage them,” Weeding said.
“While Sustainable Timber Tasmania already undertakes significant effort each year to respond to unlawful waste disposal, the recent oil dumping incident has materially increased that impact.”
Weeding said the cost was not just financial.
“These incidents pose a serious risk to forest ecosystems, waterways and wildlife,” she said.
The agency said each clean-up required specialist resources and pulled staff away from planned forest management work.
Sustainable Timber Tasmania is working with Tasmania Police, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and other agencies to investigate incidents and deter further offending.
