Geta Skip company and director fined $60,000 for abandoned waste
The company and director of a skip bin waste removal business have been fined a total of $60,000 in Parramatta Local Court for leaving 6,000 cubic metres of waste on a Smithfield premises after the lease had ended. This is the equivalent of nearly two and a half Olympic swimming pools of waste.
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The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) was notified by the owner of a warehouse that Geta Skip Pty Ltd, and its Director Abdul Dbouk, had left behind an assortment of waste including building materials, bricks, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, furniture, and used tyres at the end of a five-year lease in March 2021.
The EPA commenced a prosecution of the company and Mr Dbouk for using the warehouse as a waste facility without a licence. Geta Skip was previously prosecuted by the EPA after it failed to comply with a Clean-Up Notice.
NSW EPA Director of Operations Adam Gilligan said storing large quantities of waste without a licence is illegal behaviour.
“When waste isn’t stored correctly, there is a much higher risk of pollution incidents and in this case the waste also posed a fire hazard and blocked electrical boxes,” Mr Gilligan said.
“Waste industry operators have obligations to ensure the surrounding environment and community are not put in any danger and must operate with the correct licence.
“Behaviour like this is selfish and irresponsible. In this case the owner of the warehouse has had to cover the cost of the clean-up at considerable personal expense.
“Dealing with waste correctly is so important and operators who choose not to do the right thing can expect strong regulatory action and large fines.”
The company and Mr Dbouk were also ordered to pay the EPA’s legal costs totalling $4,000.
If you have any complaints about waste management in your community, please contact the 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555 or email info@epa.nsw.gov.au.