In short:
A Laverton North metals recycling company, MST1 Pty Ltd trading as Pacific Metals Group, has been convicted in the Wyndham Magistrates’ Court and fined $45,000 after a fire burned through its waste stockpile for two days in January 2024. The company also faces $15,574.05 in court costs payable to EPA Victoria, which prosecuted the firm for breaching its General Environmental Duty.
Wyndham Advertiser
Fire burned for two days
A Laverton North metals recycling company has been convicted and fined $45,000 after a major fire burned through its stockpile for two days in January 2024.
MST1 Pty Ltd, which operated the site as Pacific Metals Group, pleaded guilty in the Wyndham Magistrates’ Court in late March to breaching its General Environmental Duty under the Environment Protection Act 2017. Magistrate McGarvie imposed the fine alongside $15,574.05 in court costs payable to EPA Victoria — bringing the total financial penalty to more than $60,000.
The fire broke out at 1:44pm on Tuesday, 2 January 2024, at the company’s facility on Plummer Road, Laverton North. It originated from an excavator parked within a large waste stockpile measuring more than 30 metres wide, 50 metres long, and five metres high. Fire Rescue Victoria declared the blaze a third-alarm incident, deploying around 80 firefighters along with aerial appliances and hazmat units. The fire burned for two days before being fully extinguished on 4 January. Wyndham TV previously reported on industrial fires in the area, including a major blaze at a Laverton North recycling plant and a factory fire on Plummer Road.
EPA Victoria officers attended the site during the incident to advise firefighters on environmental risks, including smoke management and firewater runoff into stormwater systems. Post-fire investigations by the EPA found the stockpile contained shredded metal, tyres, plastic, and other combustible contaminants — materials inconsistent with a metals-only recycling operation.
Following the fire, the EPA issued two legal notices to the company. A Prohibition Notice prevented Pacific Metals Group from accepting any further waste until it had restructured its stockpiles to reduce risks to human health and the environment. An Environmental Action Notice required the company to manage the burnt waste, prevent further wastewater from entering the environment, and restore the site to a safe condition. The company complied with both notices and removed the stockpiles before returning the site to its landlord.
However, the company’s troubles extended beyond the fire. On 15 January 2024 — less than two weeks after the blaze — MST1 Pty Ltd entered voluntary administration. The company was subsequently liquidated on 29 April 2024.
EPA Victoria said the prosecution demonstrated that breaches of the General Environmental Duty would be pursued through the courts regardless of a company’s operational status.
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