Australia – Biodiversity – Fines for clearing endangered ecosystem
A landowner, and the contractor who undertook the work, have each been fined $3,300 after clearing 30 hectares of the endangered ecological community, known as Weeping Myall Woodlands, at Warren in the NSW Central West. More.
NSW – Biodiversity - Clearing by contractor doesn’t absolve responsibility; land owner fined $200,000 plus costs
A developer has been fined $200,000, plus costs, after engaging a contractor to remove small and recent undergrowth. When prosecuted for failing to obtain development consent to remove seven species of native vegetation , the developer blamed the contractor. In rejecting this defence, the Land and Environment Court said that, ‘The objects and purpose of the Native Vegetation Act 2003 are not served by landowners absolving themselves of responsibility by hiring contractors, whether or not the contractors hold themselves out as specialists, to undertake the clearing.’ More.
TAS – Waste – Fines for waste dumping
Two men have been fined $650 each for dumping rubbish and ordered to return to clean up the litter. One man, from the north-east, dumped household waste, including domestic white-goods, on a Forestry Tasmania site. In the other case, a Cremorne man was caught dumping green waste on the Tangara Trail on Hobart’s eastern shore. More.
VIC – Air – $600,000 to fix odour problems
A West Footscray oilseed crushing plant has agreed to spend more than $600,000 over the next three years to fix odour issues at its site, under an Enforceable Undertaking with EPA. More.
VIC – Waste – Briquette company convicted over coal sludge
A Morwell coal briquette company has been convicted of depositing industrial waste after discharging coal sludge into the Morwell Main Drain. The company was ordered to pay $75,000 to the Gippsland Climate Change Network Inc and was also ordered to pay EPA’s costs of $17,500. More.
VIC – Waste – Waste dumping costs construction company $18,000
A Laverton North civil engineering company was fined $5,841 and required to pay $13,000 in clean up costs after dumping multiple truckloads of industrial waste on vacant land in Laverton North. The waste included household rubbish, green waste, concrete and bitumen. More.
VIC – Waste – Fines for dumping industrial waste
A Hamilton man who dumped more than 150 cubic metre bins of waste plaster on the site of a former Hamilton sawmill has been convicted and fined $10,000 and ordered to pay EPA costs of more than $5,000. The landowner and his company were also fined $5,000 each and ordered to pay costs of more than $5,000 for permitting the waste to be dumped on the property. More.
VIC – Waste – Earthmoving company fined
A Leitchville earthmoving company has been fined almost $6,000 for using a vacant paddock to dump domestic and industrial waste. More.
VIC – Water – Councils fined for wastewater discharges
A Victorian council has been fined almost $6,000 for discharging contaminated stormwater from an Eaglehawk landfill into a tributary of the Maiden Gully Creek. More. Another Victorian Council has been fined nearly $6,000 after it allowed contaminated liquid to run off its landfill site at Alexandra. More.
VIC – Water –Sediment discharge costs road construction company
A Highton road construction company has been fined $6,000 after bridge maintenance works they were undertaking resulted in the discharge of sediment to Mount Emu creek near Ballarat. More.
VIC – Water – Poor storage results in Licence breach
A major chemical company has been fined nearly $6,000 for inappropriately storing chemicals and wastes at its Laverton site, creating a risk of discharge to stormwater or land. More.
