The Environmental Protection Authority has fined a company nearly $40,000 for transporting hazardous waste without permission to a number of sites across Melbourne, including in Brooklyn and Wollert.
Veolia Recycling and Recovery and Veolia Environmental Services was fined by the EPA for transporting waste classed as reportable priority waste, without gaining permission to do so.
Reportable priority waste can be extremely hazardous to human health and the environment, and is only allowed in a vehicle with appropriate EPA permission.
Veolia transported the hazardous waste to sites in Brooklyn, Wollert and Dandenong during October without permission.
“It’s disappointing to see a large company like Veolia fail to obtain the appropriate permission before transporting reportable priority waste,” said EPA compliance programs manager Zac Dornom of the offences.
Veolia is one of the largest waste management companies in the world, with the French multinational having more than 200,000 employees worldwide and more than 6000 in Australia.
Under Victorian law, the operator has the right to have the infringement notice reviewed by a court.
Along with transporting it in a permitted vehicle, those managing reportable priority waste need to provide information regarding the waste to the next person in the supply chain, report to the EPA each time the waste is exchanged, take reasonable steps to contain the waste to prevent escape or contamination and isolate the waste to enable resource recovery to occur.
For more information about waste transport obligations, visit: epa.vic.gov.au/for-business/waste/waste-duties/reportable-priority-waste
