A team of NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) officers was accompanied by NSW Police Force Criminal Groups Squad’s Strike Force Raptor members to inspect a waste facility in Sydney’s west yesterday.
The operation was to assess compliance with the Licence Suspension Notice issued by the EPA on 30 October 2020, for failure to comply with multiple conditions required under their operating license.
EPA Director, Major Compliance and Investigations Greg Sheehy said the site inspection was necessary following intelligence and subsequent surveillance that indicated activities may still be occurring at the premises.
“The EPA recently suspended the licence for a range of non-compliant activities on the site, including waste disposal, and for non-payment of the waste levy.
“We did a thorough inspection to make sure they are complying with the suspension notice and seized evidence we may need if prosecution is necessary.
“A volumetric survey will be undertaken which allows us to determine whether any additional material has been brought onto the site since the suspension.”
Mr Sheehy’s team of 25 spent hours gathering weighbridge data and taking waste samples for testing. A drone was also used to capture footage along with waste data relating to capacity on the site.
“We would like to thank the NSW Police for their assistance in this matter and remind those in the waste industry that the EPA takes licence breaches seriously,” Mr Sheehy said.
The EPA has a number of tools it can use to achieve environmental compliance, including formal warnings, licence conditions, notices and directions, mandatory audits, legally binding pollution reduction programs, enforceable undertakings and prosecutions.
