Waste and recycling companies have been put on notice this summer as Victoria's environment regulator turns to drones to avoid fires at facilities that cost millions of dollars to clean up.
The Environment Protection Agency plans to operate random flyovers using drones and thermal imaging technology to check for hot spots, ensure waste piles are properly managed, and fire risks have been reduced.
The program will also use on-ground officers to target high-risk sites, to avoid devastating fires as summer temperatures rise, EPA acting executive director operations Rachel Gualano said.
"We're sending a message to waste and recycling operators; there's no excuse for failing to properly manage their fire risk and if they haven't or won't, EPA will use its powers to enforce compliance with the regulations," she said.
"They represent an unacceptable risk to Victorians, the environment and industry, and could result in clean-up costs in the millions of dollars."
The agency fined five facilities and issued over 100 remedial directions over fire safety concerns between November 2022 and October 2023.
Inspectors found combustible and recyclable waste was improperly managed, the companies failed to identify on-site risks and fire extinguishers were not maintained.
There are six active prosecutions against facilities where fires occurred because preventative measures had not been taken.
"EPA's teams found that despite regular contact, up to 60 per cent of operators were not fully complying with environmental regulations in some way," Ms Gualano said.
"Our summer campaign is a multi-agency activity to improve the industry's awareness of fire risks."
Under Victoria's environment protection law, businesses must understand fire risks and use appropriate measures to eliminate or reduce them.
"When EPA says it has zero tolerance to fire hazards, we mean fire is not an option."
