Cleanaway fined $18,000 for illegally accepting contaminated waste over single year at Dardanup facility

The operators of a Dardanup waste facility have been ordered to pay $18,000 in fines after admitting they had accepted 1250 truckloads of undocumented contaminated waste over a year. Cleanaway Solid Waste Pty Ltd was handed down the hefty fine in Bunbury Magistrates Court on Thursday afternoon after pleading guilty to contravening a licence condition. The company had to follow particular conditions when dealing with contaminated waste as part of the facility’s waste management procedures to ensure it would not damage the surrounding environment. Any contaminated solid waste had to be supported by documentation outlining its compliance with such conditions. Waste that did not meet these measures had to be removed or quarantined at the facility until it could be appropriately disposed of. But between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, Cleanaway — which operates out of the Banksia Road Waste Management Facility in Crooked Brook — accepted 20,450.73 tonnes of hydrocarbon contaminated waste from Wren Oil without the relevant documentation. The court was told the business had simply emailed Wren Oil once every six months to confirm the waste “was the same as last time” with no formal documents submitted. An investigation by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation found the business was in breach of a condition of its licence, an offence with a maximum penalty of $125,000. State solicitor Greg Stockton said the offending was a “significant failure” on Cleanaway’s behalf and the company should have been “acutely aware” of its responsibilities after being in operation for quite some time. It was also submitted the infringement was not an “isolated” incident, with the company having previously faced three other convictions for contravening a licence condition. The court was told the company had been “proactive” in its efforts to prevent any further concerns arising since the incident, attributing the act to a change in company management at the time. However, Magistrate Joanne Andretich said the excuse was “not acceptable”. “There may have been a change in management but this does not remove the overriding responsibility to adhere to the set conditions,” she said. “Instead, there should be a greater need by management to scrutinise over them in this time of change.” She said while there was no damage caused to the environment, the potential risk was “significant” and it was a “precious resource” which should be maintained.