EPA found unlicensed operations
Sunrise Metal Recycling in Sydney’s western suburbs has been fined $30,000 after the NSW Environment Protection Authority found it was operating a waste facility without a licence and without proper environmental controls.
An EPA investigation confirmed the business was accepting old cars and other waste materials, then separating and sorting them on site. Under NSW law, that activity meets the definition of a waste facility.
David Gathercole, the NSW EPA’s Director Field Operations, said Sunrise Metal Recycling had been advised of its legal obligations in 2022. However, the business kept operating without the required approval.
Stormwater controls and fire risks
Gathercole said the premises clearly met the legal definition of a waste facility and required both approvals and an Environment Protection Licence.
Waste at the site included scrap metal, e-waste, lead-acid batteries and waste tyres. According to the EPA, poor storage or management of those materials can create environmental harm and fire risks.
EPA officers found weak environmental controls at the premises. In particular, stormwater management protocols were lacking, and staff knowledge of environmental risks was low.
No major pollution incidents were recorded at the facility before the penalty. Even so, the EPA said the risks to the environment and the community could not be ignored.
Gathercole said the business also gained financially from the non-compliance. It avoided paying a licence fee and did not install measures required to protect the environment.
Penrith City Council and NSW Police worked with the EPA during the investigation. That multi-agency inquiry examined the site’s operations in Sydney’s west.
NSW rules allow scrap metal businesses to operate without an Environment Protection Licence only if they process less than 1,000 tonnes of waste. Even in those cases, development consent is still required.
Under that legal threshold, accepting waste and sorting or separating it can still bring a business within NSW waste facility laws. As a result, operators cannot avoid regulation simply by describing the site as recycling.
Residents can report an unlawful waste facility to the NSW Environment Line by email. The contact published in the EPA briefing was [email protected].
