A Rutherford-based oil refinery has today been put on notice, with the EPA announcing it intends to conduct an environmental audit of Truegain, also known as Australian Waste Oil Refineries.
The EPA says it follows ongoing concerns about the company’s poor regulatory history at the site.
“The EPA has issued Truegain with 18 penalty notices since 2000, and has successfully prosecuted Truegain twice in the NSW Land & Environment Court. The prosecutions were for water pollution in 2003 and for failing to undertake its licensed activities in a competent manner, in 2014,” said Gary Davey from the EPA.
The audit will review all practices and procedures at the site, with the company required to report to the EPA on a range of matters.
The EPA says mandatory environmental audits are used in circumstances where serious environmental breaches are detected, or there’s a pattern of environmental non-compliance.
Last week, Hunter Water disconnected Australian Waste Oil Refineries from the sewerage network, after detecting the chemicals PFOS and PFOA in wastewater samples.
The environment watchdog maintains the audit is NOT related to this incident.
The company declined to comment.
