Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined Coburg North company Bega Cheese Limited more than $7,500 for failing to comply with a notice that required it to not exceed the amount of noise it is allowed to make at night.
EPA Metro Manager Daniel Hunt said EPA had conducted noise monitoring for a week at a nearby home and found breaches of environmental policy.*
“Activities at Bega Cheese's premises, which produce noise emissions from plant equipment and truck movements, exceeded the night period noise limit of 53 decibels (dB) by between two and 17 dB,” Mr Hunt said.
Mr Hunt said the recorded noise levels were a breach of a pollution abatement notice that required the company to comply with environmental regulations.*
“While the company has completed work at its site to reduce the amount of noise it emits, it still requires further work to be done to ensure the amenity of its neighbours is not impacted upon by excessive noise,” Mr Hunt said.
“EPA has also issued the company with another notice that requires Bega Cheese to implement further works to reduce the amount of noise it generates by 7 July 2017.”
Mr Hunt said EPA officers would monitor the site again in the future to ensure the company was operating within the noise limits it was allowed to.
“Continued failure by the company to comply with this notice requirement could see it fined up to $777,300 if prosecuted before the courts,” Mr Hunt said.
Mr Hunt said the fine should serve as a reminder to all businesses to comply with EPA notice requirements and to ensure noise generated by their activities complied with environmental law.
EPA encourages the community to report pollution on 1300 372 842 (1300 EPA VIC) or by visiting www.epa.vic.gov.au
* Bega Cheese was in breach of
State Environment Protection Policy (Control of Noise from Commerce, Industry and Trade) No. N-1, which can be referenced as
SEPP N-1.