EPA granted court order to stop D&J Holdings SA Pty Ltd and Kevin Green receiving C&D waste

The EPA has busted a local company for running an illegal dump as a business, but it’s not the first time it’s happened.

Construction and demolition waste being processed at 542 Waterloo Corner Road, Burton in January, 2022. Supplied. Picture: EPA

Repeat offenders running illegal dumps in the northern suburbs have been ordered to stop receiving waste at the latest site in Burton and contact more than 50 customers to explain.

The Environment Protection Authority has been granted a court order to restrain the local company and its manager from operating an unauthorised waste recovery or landfill depot.

Operations director Andrew Pruszinski said now that the “stop order” was in place, the EPA will prosecute and also seek a “clean up order”.

He said the latest case of illegal dumping activity in SA wouldn’t be the last.

“There will always be someone trying to do this, I think, unfortunately,” Mr Pruszinski said.

Construction and demolition waste being processed at 542 Waterloo Corner Road, Burton in January, 2022. Supplied. Picture: EPA

“We will always eventually find them, because there will be people who will inform us, or we will find them through our own investigations.”

Mr Pruszinski said technology was advancing, making the job of investigators much easier.

“We have a subscription to very high quality aerial imagery (with Nearmap) and that enables us to see with great resolution what’s happening on land,” he said.

“So I think as artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, we’ll be able to use computers to perhaps scan the land and determine whether this sort of thing is happening.

“That can’t be done at the moment, but I think there will be the day when you could identify this material being deposited and detect it that way.”

Environment Protection Authority acting director regulation Andrew Pruszinski. Picture: Supplied

D&J Holdings SA Pty Ltd and Kevin Green have, by agreement, been prohibited by the Environment, Resources and Development Court from receiving waste at 542 Waterloo Corner Road, Burton, or any other site.

In addition to writing to more than 50 customers they have dealt with or received waste from, the company and Mr Green must display signs at the entrance to the property to advise that the site is closed and that penalties could apply to anyone depositing waste there.

“No approvals for the operation of a waste recovery facility, waste reprocessing facility, or a landfill depot at this site have been obtained from the Environment Protection Authority,” the signs must read.

It was also alleged that since 2018, EPA officers had attended properties at Penfield and Direk where unlicensed activity was being undertaken by the same company and manager leading to one environment protection order and two clean-up orders.

Mr Green and the company had continued to operate the Burton site, receiving and processing waste despite an ongoing prosecution in relation to the Penfield and Direk sites.

Report illegal dumping to the EPA hotline on 8204 2004.