Arabic version: هيئة حماية البيئة تأمر بتنظيف نفايات قرب أحد روافد نهر كلارنس

According to ABC News, the NSW Environment Protection Authority has ordered Gardners Yamba Skip Bin Hire to remove more than 320 tonnes of contaminated waste allegedly dumped near a Clarence River tributary at Stockyard Creek, north of Grafton.

EPA officers and NSW Police searched the property in May during an investigation into pollution. The authority said laboratory testing of samples from refuse piles found asbestos and lead contamination. The piles also contained construction waste, synthetic turf, scrap metal and furniture.

The EPA said drone images showed contaminated waste had allegedly been stockpiled at the location since 2022. It issued a clean-up notice requiring the skip-bin company to complete the removal by November 2.

An EPA spokesperson said the land sits on a tributary of the Clarence River used for agriculture, swimming and fishing, describing it as an area of high ecological value. The spokesperson said dumping waste near a sensitive waterway was unacceptable and said customers expected skip-bin operators to take waste to authorised disposal facilities.

The landowner has also been directed to provide receipts from a lawful receiver for every load removed and photographs of each stockpile location once the clean-up is finished. ABC News said it contacted Gardners Yamba Skip Bin Hire, but the proprietor declined to comment.