The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued two penalty notices to Veolia Environmental Services (Australia) Pty Ltd totalling $30,000. The fines follow the alleged detection of waste leaking from containers onto a public road during transport between the Crisps Creek Intermodal Facility and Woodlawn Landfill, Tarago.
In two separate incidents, on 29 November 2022 and 30 March 2023, Veolia trucks transporting containerised waste were observed leaking leachate from the containers’ doors while in transit on a public road. An EPA investigation found that the containers were scheduled for replacement.
On 9 May 2023, the EPA also issued Veolia with a prevention notice requiring significant actions to reduce impacts from ageing containers during their progressive removal from service, including engaging an independent expert to develop a watertight integrity test for containers.
EPA Acting Executive Director Operations Steve Orr said waste companies like Veolia must ensure all containers are sealed and prevent waste from escaping into the surrounding environment.
“We expect all waste companies to ensure there are no leaks from containers during transport,” Mr Orr said.
"The local community around Tarago are concerned about leaking waste from containers, and we appreciate the community’s commitment to report potential breaches to the EPA.”
Penalty notices are one of the tools the EPA uses to achieve the best environmental or human health outcomes. Our regulatory approach includes a wide variety of options. Find out more about them here epa.nsw.gov.au/about-us/publications-and-reports/regulatory-strategy.
The EPA encourages the community to report incidents to the Environment Line on 131 555.