Two men were given fines and costs amounting to almost $7500 at Joondalup Magistrates Court last week, after being found guilty of dumping asbestos in Jandabup.
Roald Richard Morvinson of Wanneroo and Zach Kevin Lee of Joondalup were accused of dumping asbestos sheets and other waste in bushland at Warbrook Road, Jandabup in January 2019.
In their absence 25-year-old Morvinson was fined $3500 and 22-year-old Lee was fined $3000, with each to pay costs of $418.70.
In a separate hearing Kelly Anne Forkin of Hocking was also found guilty of dumping assorted household waste at the same location in October 2018 and in her absence, was fined $1600 with costs of $418.70.
All three convictions came as a result of a covert camera operation run by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation which caught the perpetrators dumping the material.
Comments attributed to DWER spokesperson:
“Every time someone dumps a trailer load of waste in the bush someone must clean it up, and someone has to pay for that - usually either taxpayers or ratepayers.
“People who illegally dump waste should be warned that DWER officers are out there actively trying to catch them, and when they do, offenders will be prosecuted.
“Asbestos particularly is an extremely hazardous material and should be properly disposed of at a licensed waste facility, if members of the public are unsure they can contact landfills or professional contractors.
“Not only did these people contaminate the area in which they dumped this material but they put their own health at risk in doing so.”
