Greenwaste Services Pty Ltd accepts green waste at its Wattleup premises which it processed into mulch and sold commercially.
The Company pleaded guilty to nine charges which included multiple failures to submit reports, failure to install pollution control infrastructure and environmental monitoring wells and operating outside of their licensed boundary.
On 9 March 2023 in the Perth Magistrates Court, the company was ordered to pay a total of $120,000 for the nine charges, comprising of $12,500 for eight charges and $20,000 for operating outside of the licensed boundary of the business.
In sentencing, Magistrate Kevin Taverner said operating outside the licensed boundary was the most serious of the charges and so a higher penalty was imposed.
The Department of Water and Environmental Regulation’s Executive Director for Compliance and Enforcement, Kelly Faulkner, said the sentence should send a strong message.
“Some of the practices at this facility presented a significant risk to the environment,” she said.
“For example, the illegal stockpile of waste outside the company’s licensed boundary contained timber treated with chromium, copper and arsenic which had the capacity to leach into the soil and contaminate soil, groundwater and surface water.”
“Licence holders need to be aware of their responsibilities and take them seriously.”
