Bowral waste facility fined by EPA for poor management practices

Residents living near the Kiama Street waste centre in Bowral have complained to the EPA about offensive ‘rotten egg’ odours since late May this year.

During the most recent inspection on 18 June 2021 EPA officers also detected the odours.

“During the inspection EPA officers observed a large area of uncovered waste at the south western corner of the landfill,” EPA Executive Director Steve Beaman said.

“The company’s licence requires exposed waste to be covered at the end of each day. This requirement reduces the chance that odours can escape offsite and impact nearby homes and businesses.

“The EPA expects all licensees to comply with the requirements of their environment protection licence and make sure their operations do not impact on the community.”

Mr Beaman said the EPA has also identified other practices at the landfill that could generate odours and  said the EPA would be undertaking further action to make sure these issues were addressed.

Residents who experience odours are encouraged to make a report to the EPA’s 24-hour Environment Line on 131 555. More information about reporting odours including the kind of information that is helpful to the EPA can be found on the EPA website.

Penalty notices are one of a number of tools the EPA can use to achieve environmental compliance, including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions.

For more information about the EPA’s regulatory tools, see the EPA Compliance Policy on the EPA website.