The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has fined Pendle Hill waste operator iTreat Pty Ltd $1500 for alleged offences related to their management of grease trap waste at their Pendle Hill premises.
iTreat was issued the Penalty Notice and an official caution for multiple breaches where their treated grease trap waste exceeded the maximum acceptable concentrations of metals including copper, chromium and zinc.
iTreat processes grease trap waste, diverting it from landfill and providing it as a soil amendment for application to agricultural land, where the levels of metals must be kept within strict limits to avoid any adverse impact on the land. Recycling of treated grease trap waste can be a way of applying organic nutrients to land, but it must be done following strict guidelines.
EPA Director Major Compliance and Investigations Greg Sheehy said the community expected all waste management companies to comply with the rules to ensure the community and environment were protected.
"These breaches have the potential to harm both the land and the community. Treated waste must meet the criteria set in the rules for resource recovery, particularly where it is used for farming, and could impact any produce grown there.
"By fining iTreat $1500 for not carrying out waste management in accordance with the legislation the EPA is issuing a clear warning to all operators to comply, or be fined," Mr Sheehy said.
The alleged offences occurred in July 2019, August 2019 and June 2020. During an EPA inspection on 3 September 2020, EPA officers conducted an audit and found numerous breaches including inadequate sampling frequency, failure to notify the EPA of breaches, and excessive concentrations of metals like copper, chromium, and zinc, in samples.
iTreat has agreed in future to treat the waste to comply with the appropriate regulation. This includes their sampling and other practices.
Penalty notices are one of several tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions. In this instance, the EPA issued a penalty notice and official caution.
