Veolia Recycling and Recovery Pty Ltd (civil enforcement proceeding)

Breach a condition of an Operating Licence at Hampton Park between July 2022 and September 2023, contrary to section 63(1).

Breach of General Environmental Duty at Hampton Park between July 2022 and September 2023, contrary to section 25(1).

EPA received a significant volume of complaints from the public about odour believed to have been emitted from the Hallam Road Landfill in 2022 and 2023. Odour complaints reduced significantly following the coverage of an open leachate drainage layer in one cell, and application of a sacrificial geomembrane barrier to sidewall drainage layers in three other cells, in August 2023. These sidewall drainage layers were part of a cell design that had been verified by an EPA-approved independent auditor, and relied on by Veolia.

In response to these complaints and other observations from site visits during the relevant period, EPA issued civil penalty proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria against Veolia alleging a range of contraventions against Veolia of its operating licence and the GED. The alleged contraventions related primarily to management of leachate levels and landfill gas at the Hallam Road Landfill.

Veolia admitted it breached its licence and failed to manage the risks of environmental harm occurring so far as reasonably practicable. Veolia has since made, and continues to make in accordance with the Court orders, further improvements to leachate management and landfill gas extraction infrastructure at the Hallam Road Landfill.

Please see EPA's media release: Supreme Court orders $1 million for landfill breaches.