he Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, as Queensland’s environmental regulator, is putting Queensland waste operators on notice after a prosecution of an unlicensed operator, and a compliance blitz on metal recyclers resulted in more than $400,000 worth of fines for carrying out unlawful activities that risk the safety of the community and the environment.
The department is continuing to crack down on unlawful waste operations across Queensland to tackle stockpile fires, land contamination, impacts on nearby waterways and nuisance due to dust and excessive noise.
This result follows the highly successful joint compliance blitz Operation Sidero, which resulted in about $300,000 in fines for recyclers caught illegally stockpiling large amounts of scrap metal.
Between 27 and 28 February, compliance officers from the environmental regulator, the Office of Fair Trading, local government and the QPS investigated illegal scrap metal dismantling and stockpiling across southern and southeast Queensland.
As a result of the two-day operation, 25 fines were issued at the end of February ranging from $3,096 for individuals and $15,480 for companies.
These included:
– 13 fines for operators in Brisbane
– 5 fines for operators in Moreton Bay
– 2 fines for operators on the Gold Coast
– 1 fine each for operators in Toowoomba, Ipswich and Gympie
Any member of the community or industry that is concerned about a poor performing or unlicenced waste facility is encouraged to contact the Pollution Hotline on 1300 130 372 or by sending an email to pollutionhotline@des.qld.gov.au.
