Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) has fined a Bookaar based compost processing company nearly $8000 for accepting up to ten thousand tonnes more industrial and green waste than its licence allowed.
EPA South West Region Manager Carolyn Francis said The Camperdown Composting Company Pty Ltd had been warned that it needed to take action.
“EPA inspectors had reminded the company months before of its obligation to either keep its intake below the 24,000 tonnes per year for which it was licensed, or apply to EPA for approval to increase the allowed volume” Ms Francis said.
“EPA licences for facilities like this are not just paperwork, they are confirmation that the company has shown it has the capacity and management systems to handle the type and volume of waste for which it is licensed,” she said.
The Camperdown Composting Company takes in green waste, dairy processing waste, sludge from meatworks, grease trap effluent and waste from food and beverage manufacturing, from Melbourne and regional Victoria. It produces compost that is used on farms around the district.
EPA has fined the company $7929 for failing to comply with the conditions of its licence under the Environment Protection Act 1970, after inspecting receipts, weighbridge logs and other company documents that showed it had exceeded its limit by thousands of tonnes.
The records showed that in the 12 months to 1 March 2018, the company took in 30,089 tonnes of industrial and green waste.
“EPA licence holders must take responsibility for complying with their licence conditions to protect the environment and the community, and they always have the option of contacting EPA for advice,” she said.
“Working proactively with EPA and achieving compliance is better for the environment, the licence holder and the community, than causing pollution and copping a fine or a court prosecution,” she said.
The company cooperated with the EPA investigation and is now working with EPA to ensure the correct approvals are in place to process a larger amount of waste into compost.
Under the Environment Protection Act 1970 and the Infringements Act 2008, the company has the right to have the decision to issue the infringement notice reviewed or alternatively to have the matter heard and determined by a court.