Unanderra company Sharry Pty Ltd has been fined $15,000 for illegally disposing of asbestos – after dumping contaminated materials in a waterway to try and make a dam wall.
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The NSW Environment Protection Authority fined the company $15,000 for unlawfully transporting and disposing of the asbestos contaminated waste at a property in Avondale.
The EPA said it had also issued Sharry, a property development company, with an official caution for three related offences.
The EPA investigated activities at the property after being alerted to the concerns from a member of the public.
Investigators found soil, building and demolition waste, each contaminated with asbestos, had been driven to the property and then dumped in a waterway.
EPA regional manager of waste compliance Cate Woods said the risk to human and environmental health from asbestos disposal in a waterway was significant.
“It is simply unacceptable to put the community and the environment at risk with careless waste practices,” she said.
“Asbestos will remain a persistent risk in our community if proper disposal is not undertaken.
“In this case, not only was asbestos waste mishandled, but local waterways were put at risk of pollution. No controls or approvals were in place to ensure that those waters were protected.”
ASIC documents show Sharry’s sole director is Dapto man Anthony Davey.
Ms Woods said after further directions were issued Sharry had eventually cleaned up the site.
