Seven new waste offences cost Alcobell and its director over $110,000 in fines
Bulk haulage company Alcobell has been fined $70,000 by the NSW Land and Environment Court for unlawfully transporting and depositing waste on three properties in the Lithgow local government area.
Alcobell director Alistair Campbell was also found guilty for the three offences and for knowingly providing false and misleading information to the NSW arm of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
It is the second series of fines for the company since 2010, with the Lithgow Local Court convicting Alcobell of two offences in 2012 for illegally transporting and disposing of waste two years prior.
At the time, Alcobell transported 15 tonnes of building and demolition waste to Campbell’s property at Capertee, which included bricks, soil, concrete, plastic items, steel mesh and timber.
As it was not a waste facility, the company and Campbell were fined $14,500.
The most recent conviction stems from the unlawful transportation of approximately 6531 tonnes of waste, including asbestos products, from skip bin facilities in the Sydney area between 2010 and 2012.
The EPA’s director of waste and resource recovery, Steve Beaman, says waste materials, where possible, should be reused rather than sent to landfill.
“There are strict regulations and requirements about what materials can be reused, how they can be reused and where they can be reused,” Beaman says.
“These measures are intended to protect the public and the environment.
“Alcobell Pty Ltd transported waste material to three properties in the Lithgow local government area other than in accordance with the waste exemptions and without the necessary environment protection licences in place to undertake the work.
“The EPA takes these types of matters very seriously and this result should serve as a reminder to waste operators who chose to operate outside of the law.”
On top of the fines, Alcobell and its director were ordered to pay the costs associated with the EPA investigation ($23,406) and its yet-to-be quantified legal costs.