Ballarat man fined by EPA after illegal asbestos transport

A Ballarat man and one Geelong man have been fined thousands after being nabbed with a trailer load of asbestos.

The sting a team effort involving police, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and the EPA.

Jason Kilday and Peter Ranton both entered a guilty plea in the Geelong Magistrates Court.

The charges followed a day in September 2021 when the men were observed removing asbestos from a house in Torquay.

At the time Kilday was advertised on the Jim’s Asbestos Removal website as a licensed asbestos removalist, even though neither he nor Ranton were licensed to do the job.

EPA Southwest Regional Manager Carolyn Francis says badly handled asbestos is hazardous to people’s health.

“There is strong regulation of asbestos because it is so common in older buildings, vehicles and other items produced before the hazards were known,” Ms. Francis said.

“The licensing of trained removalists, the requirement to have an EPA registration to transport asbestos,  and the strong controls on facilities that accept asbestos waste are parts of a system designed to safely remove, transport and dispose of asbestos,” she said.