John Merritt CEO of the EPA says he now expected the company to act. He says, “We don’t take these actions lightly, but it is important for all major industrial sites like this to respect the communities they operate within.”
As part of the Notices served on Amcor, the company is required to reduce the impact of odour from its clarifier, trade waste ponds, recycled paper plant and recycling centre.
In a separate Notice concerning waste, Amcor is required to ensure no waste is discharged to stormwater, improve containment of chemicals and oils, as well as implement a stormwater monitoring programme.
Merritt continues, “Odour complaints skyrocketed late last year and have continued into 2011, which is why EPA Officers spent a significant amount of time in the field in February gathering evidence and confirming complaints.
“I made it clear to Amcor, publicly and privately, they needed to move swiftly to address the odour pollution issues. Unfortunately complaints have continued and we have now issued five Notices instructing Amcor to rectify the situation.”
The Environment Protection Act provides for fines up to $286,680 for contravening a Pollution Abatement Notice. In the case of a continuing offence, a company may be ordered to pay up to $143,340 for each day on which the offence continues.
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