Fyansford landfill operator ordered to pay $50k to fund conservation project after contaminated waste found

A Geelong tip operator has been ordered to pay $50k after contaminated waste was found at its site.

A Geelong tip operator has been ordered to pay $50k for habitat restoration after the discovery of contaminated waste.

A Geelong tip operator has been ordered to pay $50,000 after contaminated waste was found at its facility.

The Geelong Magistrates’ Court ordered Geelong Landfill Pty Ltd, which trades as Sycle, to pay the sum, which will fund a conservation project along the Moorabool River, after waste at its Fyansford facility was found to be contaminated with hydrocarbons.

According to ASIC documents, the directors of the company are Joseph Bartolo, Andrew Fairbarn, Raymond Dando, Cameron Healy and Nabeel Sadaka.

EPA’s Environmental Crime Branch charged the company for accepting more than 140 tonnes of waste that was incorrectly classified as “packaged waste asbestos.”

The facility is licensed to accept asbestos but the high levels of hydrocarbons meant different safety measures were required.

EPA told the court the company failed to report its license breach and did not remove the material to a facility with a license to accept the waste within the deadline required by its EPA operating licence.

The material has now been removed from the site.

Along with funding the conservation project, the company was ordered to pay an additional $10k to the court and $5,558 to cover the EPA’s court costs.

The Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and the City of Greater Geelong will deliver the conservation project, which will remove weeds and plant native vegetation on a two-hectare site that runs along 400 metres of riverbank, close to the junction of the Moorabool and Barwon Rivers.

Corangamite Catchment Management Authority chief executive Amber Clarke said the authority was very pleased with the result.

“This funding will create practical benefits for the environment,” she said.

“The Moorabool River Restoration Project in Fyansford will remove weeds and plant native vegetation to help restore the waterway and improve habitat for platypus to its natural form.

“We will be working with the City of Greater Geelong to improve water quality, enhance habitat for native plants and wildlife, and enhance opportunities for community recreation and wellbeing.”

Originally published as Fyansford landfill operator ordered to pay $50k to fund conservation project after contaminated waste found