Remember when parks, schools and hospitals across Sydney were infested with asbestos and had to be closed off back in January and February? Well, a Sydney billionaire by the name of Arnold Vitocco is now facing charges from the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the property developer and Max Brenner chocolate cafe chain owner is being charged with an executive liability offence as a result of his company’s alleged breach of its environmental protection licence.
A criminal investigation was launched earlier this year after asbestos was found in sites across Sydney. (Credit: Getty)
The EPA is reportedly set to bring 102 charges in the NSW Land and Environment Court centred on the waste recovery plant on The Northern Road, Bringelly.
“The prosecutions follow the largest investigation in the EPA’s history which was launched after bonded asbestos was discovered in mulch at Rozelle Parklands,” the agency said in a statement.
“During the investigation over 300 sites were inspected, with 79 sites identified as having used contaminated mulch. All 79 sites have now been cleaned up by owners.”
The charges are in relation to 26 of the 79 sites where asbestos was found to have been infused with mulch.
Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility, Freescale Trading Pty Ltd and Runkorp Pty Ltd will face charges for allegedly reusing asbestos waste, which is in breach of a resource recovery order, and for undergoing scheduled activities without a licence.
VE Resource Recovery has been charged with failing to competently carry out its work and director Arnold Vitocco is charged with an executive liability offence.
A spokesperson for Greenlife told the SMH that it planned to fight the charges.
“Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (GRRF) maintains its innocence and will strongly defend these allegations,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The media has been informed of the details before the company has been served with the file documents. GRRF maintains that no asbestos contamination has been discovered by the EPA now, or during any previous testing at its Bringelly site.
“GRRF takes its environmental obligations very seriously, does not accept demolition waste and has strict protocols to ensure its products are not contaminated before they leave the site,” the spokesperson said.
“The supply chain is complex and there are several ways asbestos can contaminate materials. One scenario involves delivering clean materials to a remediated site, where they are mixed with the existing materials onsite.”
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