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Hexham Manufacturing Pty Ltd has been fined $30,000 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for failing to maintain its plant equipment, resulting in sewage-like odours from its dairy processing facility.
The EPA received several odour complaints from residents and businesses between August and October 2025, prompting officers to conduct multiple inspections of the site and surrounding area in Hexham, Newcastle. They confirmed offensive odours were mainly coming from the wastewater treatment plant, with the same smell detected offsite at a number of locations.
In September 2025, the EPA issued Hexham Manufacturing with a Prevention Notice and the company undertook an extensive desludging operation.
The EPA has fined the operator $30,000 for failing to properly maintain its wastewater treatment plant, breaching the conditions of its Environment Protection Licence.
NSW EPA Director of Operations Greg Sheehy said the community had been subjected to unacceptable impacts.
“Operators are required to properly maintain equipment and respond before issues escalate. That didn’t happen in this case,” Mr Sheehy said.
“Our investigation found the facility’s wastewater treatment system had not been adequately maintained for several years, contributing to shocking conditions that caused strong odours.
“Excessive sludge had accumulated in the main aeration dam, impacting the operational performance by leaving the pond overloaded. This build-up resulted in a blanket of fatty acids and dairy waste such as whey, leading to poor settling, foam and odours.
“The local community had to deal with persistent offensive odours for too long, and the EPA will continue taking action where licence holders fail to properly manage and maintain their infrastructure.”
Anyone who experiences strong or unusual odours should report them to the EPA’s Environment Line at [email protected], with as much detail as possible to support our investigations.
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