Between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020, Cleanaway accepted 20,450 tonnes of contaminated solid waste in 1,254 truckloads at its Banksia Road Putrescible Landfill near Dardanup in the South West. The waste consisted of hydrocarbon contaminated waste from a waste oil recycling centre in Picton.
Cleanaway accepted the hydrocarbon waste for landfilling without the required supporting documentation to demonstrate the waste met the waste acceptance criteria on their licence.
DWER has prosecuted Cleanaway three times in the past two years for breaching its licence conditions. Under instruction from DWER, Cleanaway has now taken steps to improve its waste acceptance procedures and site operational practices to achieve compliance with their licence. DWER continues to inspect the Banksia Road site to ensure the improved procedures are being implemented and to verify that compliance is being maintained.
In the Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday 17 November 2022, while imposing the penalty, Magistrate Joanne Andretich noted that the case represented a persistent course of conduct by Cleanaway in failing to comply with the licence and noted the high risk of damage to the environment caused by the conduct.
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Executive Director for Compliance and Enforcement, Kelly Falkner, said the penalty sent a message to landfill operators.
“Licence conditions are imposed to manage risks to the environment. It is vital that operators have appropriate procedures in place to ensure compliance” she said.
“Landfill operators are put on notice that DWER will police these matters and it’s up to operators to ensure the correct procedures are in place.”
