Mitchell Craig Grisbrook, who trades under the name ‘Expert Tree Care’, pleaded guilty to each of the five illegal dumping charges. He previously traded as ‘Elite Trees’, which was prosecuted in 2018 for breaching consumer rights.
The incidents took place over a period of four months from 1 November 2017 through to 8 March 2018, at five different locations: Atwell, Kinross, Heathridge, Beldon and Brabham.
In each offence, a white Mitsubishi truck hired by Grisbrook was seen dumping green waste, mulch and dirt without the permission of the land owner.
Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DWER) Executive Director of Compliance and Enforcement Stuart Cowie said businesses that generated waste needed to ensure that it was lawfully disposed of, reused or recycled.
“In this case, department inspectors worked with the cities of Cockburn, Joondalup and Swan, as well as number of witnesses, to identify and convict this person of illegal dumping,” he said.
“There are no excuses for illegal dumping and offenders are likely to receive fines that significantly exceed the costs of disposing of waste legally.”
The maximum penalty for illegal dumping of waste is $62,500 for an individual or $125,000 for a body corporate.
