Spill costs vegetable oil producer $45K

A water pollution incident has cost a Rutherford vegetable oil producer $45,000. Atlantic Pacific Foods (AP Foods) was convicted on 15 August and fined $15,000 for the offence and ordered to pay $30,000 in prosecutor and investigation costs.

The incident could have been prevented if the company had had the correct disposal controls in place and conducted appropriate staff training on disposal of spilt product, said NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Director North, Gary Davey.

“In April last year, a form of vegetable oil was spilt on the premises,” Davey said. “As part of the clean-up, the material was hosed into an unmarked stormwater drain and entered a nearby creek. The oil in the creek was reported to the EPA by a neighbouring business.

“AP Foods could have prevented the offence by taking measures such as installing appropriate bunding and clearly labelling the stormwater drains on its premises.

“The EPA has conducted a full investigation and AP Foods immediately accepted responsibility and voluntarily cleaned up the spill. The company has also put in place measures to prevent any further pollution incidents including retraining staff.

“The environmental harm was significant because vegetable oil entered the creek and would have been lethal to some organisms in the water.

“It is the responsibility of industry to protect nearby waterways.”