Two related Central Coast companies must pay a total of $57,000 after being prosecuted in Wyong Local Court by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for waste offences.
The offences, which took place between June and August 2021, included falsified waste dockets provided by EBH Transport Pty Ltd and unlawful storage of asbestos waste by EBH Services Pty Ltd at its Wyong premises. Both companies share administrative resources, staff and a common Director.
The matters relate to asbestos waste that EBH was contracted to remove from a development in Silverdale south of Sydney.
NSW EPA Director Priority Compliance & Investigations Greg Sheehy said that falsifying waste dockets is never an acceptable course of action.
"EBH deliberately created fake waste dockets that implied it had disposed of the waste in full. However, at the time, only a portion of the waste had been disposed of at a waste facility in Queensland. This would have enabled the contractor to sign off that the site was asbestos free, so they could proceed with the housing development," Mr Sheehy said.
"The main tool we have to protect our environment from being polluted by harmful waste is through a rigorous regulatory system. Falsifying information completely undermines this protection.
"The Wyong premises should never have been used to store asbestos as they do not have the prerequisite facilities and safeguards."
Magistrate Khan noted in his decision that the offences relating to the provision of false information "struck at the very heart of the regulatory regime".
By 7 August 2021, all 1,033 tonnes of waste containing asbestos had been lawfully disposed of at the Queensland waste facility.
EBH Transport has been fined $12,000 for the provision of falsified waste dockets concerning the waste and $8,000 for transporting waste to the Wyong premises, that could not lawfully receive it.
EBH Services has been fined $8,000 for storing waste at its premises at Wyong, when the waste could not lawfully be stored there, and $12,000 for the provision of false information to the EPA in its waste contribution monthly reports. Each company must also pay the EPA $8,500 in professional costs.
