Big fine for mass dumping of asbestos contaminated soil

The material was dumped on his own land in Arcadia over a period of seven months in 2017.

Mr Mouawa has been fined $189,000 and must pay the authority's legal costs.

He has also been ordered to pay more than $33,000 to cover the cost of investigating what happened.

EPA executive director Carmen Dwyer said about 20,000 tonnes of contaminated soil was dumped at the site, potentially causing harm to the community and environment.

"The severe punishment issued here is what operators can expect if they operate illegal landfills or don't dispose of waste legally and responsibly," Ms Dwyer said.

Mr Mouawa has until December to clean up his own land.