Cleanaway cops $15k penalty over blood, syringe spillage into neighbours

The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has slapped Cleanaway Daniels with a penalty notice for the improper storage and littering of clinical waste, saying the risk to the community "will not be tolerated".

The fines were for an incident in June 2023 when the EPA found clinical waste, including several glass vials of blood and a syringe, had spilled onto a property adjacent to the company's medical waste plant at 14 Industrial Rd.

This is the fourth penalty notice Cleanway has received since 2020.

The EPA's executive director of regulatory operations Jason Gordon said this type of incident would "not be tolerated".

"Our investigation found that Cleanaway Daniels Waste Services Pty Ltd failed to safely contain and package waste in accordance with clinical waste standards," he said.

"Vials of blood and syringes should not be allowed to escape to neighbouring properties. The risk to the community as a result of this medical waste not being disposed of and contained properly will not be tolerated.

"Cleanaway Daniels Waste Services Pty Ltd needs to meet its obligations to adequately protect the community from bio-hazardous waste."

Cleanaway Daniels processes medical waste and quarantine waste from cruise ships at the Unanderra plant.

Mr Gordon said Cleanaway had required repeated attention from the EPA.

"Operators dealing in potentially harmful clinical waste are expected to take all necessary steps to contain their waste in a competent manner and we will take action to enforce compliance where necessary," he said.

"There have been repeated incidents with Cleanaway Daniels Waste Services Pty Ltd. Since 2020, we have now issued four penalty notices and one clean-up notice."

Cleanaway said the environment and safety were its "foundations".

"In 2023 a very small amount of clinical waste was located at the perimeter of the site's fence line," a spokesman said.

"The waste was cleaned up immediately.

"Cleanaway takes compliance with the legal and regulatory requirements relating to the operations of our facilities very seriously. The environment and safety are foundations of Cleanaway.

"Following incidents, Cleanaway takes the opportunity to learn and to consider means to further improve environmental risk management and safety risks. This is undertaken with a view to minimising the risk of any future incident of a similar nature from occurring across all Cleanaway sites."