Cleanaway Solid Waste Pty Ltd (CSW) operates the Banksia Road Waste Management Facility located on Banksia Road in Crooked Brook. On 30 May 2022, Magistrate Joanne Andretich accepted Cleanaway’s guilty plea at the Bunbury Magistrate’s Court. The licence condition breached by Cleanaway related to the use of an unauthorised type of waste cover at the facility in early 2020.
The court heard that inspectors from the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (the department) had attended the facility on 19 February 2020 to carry out a compliance inspection. Inspectors observed that waste deposited in the operational landfill area had been covered by shredder floc rather than a cover authorised by CSW’s environmental licence. Shredder floc is made up of shredded waste residue predominantly consisting of metal fines, dirt, glass, plastic rubber, and foam.
In imposing the sentence, Magistrate Andretich said the sentence ought to send a strong message to the community that licence obligations should be strictly complied with to preserve the environment for future generations.
Germaine Larcombe, Executive Director, Compliance and Enforcement at the department, welcomed the Magistrate’s decision and her supporting comments.
“It is essential that suitable cover is used at landfill sites to control odour and dust emissions from deposited waste, reduce the potential for wind-blown litter, minimise the attraction of scavengers and vermin to the site and reduce the risk of a fire occurring or the spread of a fire if one occurs,” Ms Larcombe said.
