A Queensland demolition company and its director have been fined more than half a million dollars for illegally dumping toxic waste, including asbestos, near residential areas.
Officials from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) began investigating Asbestos Demolition Specialists in 2020.
It found large amounts of asbestos waste had been disposed of at a property south of Brisbane.
DESI’s executive director, Brad Wrath, said Asbestos Demolition Specialists did not have a licence to dump waste at its site in Eagleby, Logan, because of its proximity to vital water sources and residential properties.
“The Albert River is home to a diverse ecosystem and provides crucial habitat to a number of species … It’s simply unacceptable his company put its health at risk,” he said.
Authorities found asbestos waste at the company’s site in Logan in 2020. (Supplied)
DESI issued multiple notices to the business, ordering it to stop disposing and receiving waste.
The company repeatedly failed to comply with the requests despite multiple follow-up inspections by DESI officers, according to the regulator.
“The repeated and serious nature of these offences and the lack of action from the company is extremely disappointing,” Mr Wrath said.
Asbestos Demolition Specialists pleaded guilty to nine offences under the Environmental Protection Act, including five counts of wilfully contravening an environmental protection order and one count of wilfully and unlawfully causing material harm.
The Beenleigh Magistrates Court fined the company $400,000 and ordered it to pay a further $75,000 for a licence fee.
The company failed to respond to multiple requests to remove the waste from the department. (Suppled: DESI)
The company’s director, Anthony Palmer, pleaded guilty after failing to ensure his business complied with requirements under the Environmental Protection Act.
He was fined $100,000 and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment which has been suspended for three years.
‘We’ll take strong action’
Mr Wrath said the judgement showed the “seriousness” of the offences.
“It is our role to implement and enforce legislation that protects the environment and safeguards our communities,” he said.
“It is vital operators comply with laws and regulations to ensure their activities do not harm our environment … We’ll take strong action against those who fail to meet these expectations.”
Brad Wrath says the company’s site posed a risk to the environment. (Supplied: DESI)
The court found the offending activities were “deliberate and extensive” and it ordered the company and Mr Palmer to pay more than $12,600 each in legal costs.
They were also issued a rehabilitation order to restore land impacted by the illegal dumping.
