Rules, penalties and programs drive environment protection
A snapshot of regulatory action by the EPA and in the community
New rules are making it easier for construction industry to reuse good quality soil
New rules for reusing good quality soil from construction
We are making it easier for the construction industry to reuse good quality excavated soil with new standards to increase the quality and value of up to 350,000 tonnes of soil recovered from construction and demolition works each year.The new rules will be introduced as part of changes to the Recovered Fines and Soils Orders and Exemptions and will provide regulatory certainty to the construction industry and its customers. Read more
Consultations on regulatory developments
We expect to be consulting on a number of our regulation reviews over the next two months, including reviews of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act General Regulation, the Contaminated Land Management Regulation, Dangerous Goods Regulation and the Protection of the Environment Operations Act Clean Air Regulation. You can find out more and have your say by visiting our consultation portal
EPA Regulatory Policy published
We have published our new Regulatory Policy on our website, which sits under our first EPA Regulatory Strategy.
The Regulatory Policy looks at all types of our regulatory work and how we make regulatory decisions. It includes our education, engagement and programs work as well as how we will work with communities to improve environmental and human health outcomes. It is not just about compliance actions. It replaces the EPA Compliance Policy.
The Regulatory Policy describes many of the tools we use and actions we may take under each element of our regulatory approach: listen, educate, enable, act, influence, require, monitor, enforce. It explains what we consider when making regulatory decisions in response to an environmental or human health issue or in response to non-compliance.
The EPA is acting on the final report on coal seam gas activities
Cost recovery for gas industry regulation
We are moving to cost recovery for regulation of the gas industry, completing the NSW Government's commitments to the Chief Scientists and Engineer’s recommendations in the Final Report of the Independent Review of Coal Seam Gas Activities in NSW.
Ongoing monitoring of odours in Sydney’s west
Our regulatory work often involves vigilance around the negative environmental and social impacts of licensed industrial activities, such as unacceptable odours from waste facilities impacting on neighbours.
Responding to reports from the community during the past 12 months, we have installed seven odour detection monitors around Eastern Creek and Minchinbury to help us measure and monitor hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg gas) in the area. Information from the monitors, along with odour patrols by our officers, are helping us check that our requirements on potentially odorous activities such as the Bingo Dial A Dump and composting facilities are working.
Learn more on how these monitors work and check the twice-weekly readings.
Recycling company fined for operating outside of hours
Recycling company Polytrade Chinderah has been fined for operating outside the approved hours specified in its Environment Protection Licence.
The business, which sorts and processes recyclable materials, has applied to vary its operating hours through a development consent, but this has not yet been approved.
The EPA advised Polytrade twice in November 2021 that it must comply with the operating hours approved under its current development approval and licence conditions. However later that same month when EPA officers conducted an inspection they found the business was still operating nearly two and a half hours after processing was required to cease.
EPA Officers conducted another unannounced inspection in December and found the business was again operating outside its licensed hours, this time by about 30 minutes.
The EPA fined Polytrade Chinderah $15,000. The penalty notice sends a strong message to licence holders to comply with their licence conditions.
Bartter fined for discharging high-strength effluent
Beresfield poultry processing facility Bartter Enterprises Pty Limited has been fined $15,000 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) for allegedly discharging high-strength effluent into Woodberry Swamp.
The $15,000 fine is the largest the EPA can issue under its legislation. Read more