The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has fined Hanson Construction Materials Pty Ltd $8000 for an alleged repeat air pollution offence, after concrete dust was not properly managed and twice blew onto a neighbouring property.
Hanson’s operates a concrete batching plant at Doyalson, on the Central Coast. The NSW EPA received a community complaint earlier this year about dust blowing from the site into a neighbouring property.
EPA Director Hunter Region Karen Marler said the EPA inspected the site and found that dust was blowing off a stockpile and that control measures could have prevented the incident.
"The EPA found that cement dust stockpiles were being stored outside a containment area and lacked control measure to minimise dust.
"The location of material stockpiles, and the provision of dust controls to those stockpiles, are key to ensuring facilities like concrete batching plants have minimal impact on the environment and the community," Ms Marler said.
"On this occasion, the stockpiles were poorly located and insufficient dust control measures were in place meaning the community was impacted." ---
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. F
