Berkeley Vale company fined for storing asbestos waste

A company that unlawfully stored asbestos waste on a Berkeley Vale property has been fined by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

EPA officers noticed 13 bags marked with asbestos warnings on top of a stockpile of other waste while carrying out a routine inspection of EBH Environmental Services Pty Ltd on October 14, 2020.

EPA Director Regulatory Operations, Adam Gilligan, said more than15 tonnes of waste was confirmed to be asbestos waste which should not have been held at the property.

“One of the bags had split and unwrapped fibrous sheet material could be seen inside,” he said.

“The EBH Berkeley Vale site is not permitted to receive or store asbestos waste.

“A special licence is required if a waste facility wants to manage asbestos waste, and all these facilities must adhere to strict rules and conditions to ensure the health and safety of the community and the environment.

“Asbestos material can be a serious health risk – especially if asbestos fibres are airborne and you inhale them.”

During its investigation, the EPA identified that the asbestos waste had been temporarily stored at a nearby property before being moved to the EBH site.

“The EPA considers this to be a serious incident,” Gilligan said.

“The EPA expects all waste, and especially asbestos waste, to be stored and disposed of lawfully to ensure that we are keeping our community and the environment safe.”

Gilligan said EBH was fined $15,000 and has been issued with an official caution for breaching their environment protection licence.

EBH has been fined three times by the EPA since 2017.

Penalty notices are one of a number of tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance, including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions.

Source:
Media release, June 29
Environmental Protection Authority