The May 2022 fire at the Bald Hill Quarry landfill site at Jugiong. Photo: NSW EPA.
A Hilltops landfill business has been ordered to pay more than half a million dollars in fines by the NSW Land and Environment Court (LEC) after the company was found guilty of multiple environmental offences including the unauthorised use of shredded rubber tyres as landfill cover material.
The conviction comes after the court determined Bald Hill Quarry Pty Ltd personnel deliberately and repeatedly ignored instructions by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) not to use the shredded tyres as daily cover material at its Jugiong landfill site, a disused quarry void known as “Ecofill”.
Located adjacent to the Hume Highway, eight kilometres east of Jugiong, the operation services Yass, Hilltops, Cootamundra-Gundagai and Snowy Valleys Councils.
Landfill ‘cover’ is a layer of material spread over landfilled waste to manage environmental impacts, including odours, water run-off and fires. Cover materials vary but commonly include clay, soil and compost known as virgin excavated natural material (VENM), which was a licence requirement at Bald Hill.
It is understood the rubber significantly increased the severity of a large fire which broke out at the landfill on 9 May 2022.
Five charges were brought against the operation including one negligent waste disposal offence, one air pollution offence (resulting from the 2022 fire), two licence breaches and one failure to immediately notify authorities of a pollution incident.
Bald Hill Quarry pleaded guilty to the five offences.
NSW EPA Executive Director of Operations Jason Gordon welcomed the ruling, stating it held the quarry accountable and reinforced the seriousness of knowingly breaching environmental regulations.
“The quarry knew using shredded rubber as landfill cover was a fire risk, yet chose to proceed,” Mr Gordon said.
“This negligent action put the environment and community at risk and led to the largest fire recorded at the site.”
He said the ruling served as a strong reminder that environmental safety standards must be upheld, with no exceptions.
“Our message is clear – we will not hesitate to pursue those who fail to meet their obligations to protect our communities and the environment,” Mr Gordon said.
The LEC convicted and fined Bald Hill Quarry Pty Ltd a total of $341,000 for the five offences and ordered it to pay the EPA’s legal costs of $236,250.
The LEC also instructed it to make public the details of the offence in The Daily Telegraph, Cootamundra Herald, and Inside Waste magazine.
Other Bald Hill Quarry operations include a blue metal quarry at Tumbarumba and a pink granite quarry at Holbrook.
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