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Private Dump Owners Unhappy Over Council Court Action
The owners of a private dump near Greymouth say they are still “disappointed” that the West Coast Regional Council has chosen to take them to court.
The case against Taylorville Resource Park Ltd (TRPL) for allegedly dumping unconsented toxic waste came up for review this week in the Greymouth District Court.
The company, under Timaru-based directors Tony Moir and Bruce Tinnelly, is being prosecuted by the regional council, on charges of discharging contaminants to land.
The pair are also co-directors of Paul Smith Earthmoving Ltd.
The council alleges the waste, not covered by the landfill’s resource consent, included drums full of sandblasting media; ‘road- derived sediments’ containing heavy metals, and reels of fibre optic cable – all from Christchurch.
TRPL has pleaded not guilty to the charges as what it calls “an interim measure.”
“We are currently working with a team of experts, scientific and legal, and have sought further time from the court to resolve these allegations,” a TRPL spokesperson said, after the case was called yesterday. (subs: Tuesday 29/4)
The company is planning to apply for a new resource consent from the WCRC that would allow it to expand its operations and accept a wider range of waste materials.
Under its existing consent, it can take cleanfill, demolition and construction waste, asbestos, coal tar and tyres.
But if it wants to take other contaminated material it must apply for consent from the WCRC on a case-by-case basis, a restriction it describes as “unusual and cumbersome.”
The new Class 2 consent would mean it could accept waste - like the material it is being accused of having - as of right.
The original resource consent for the landfill was granted by the Regional Council without notification – a sore point for neighbours and the Grey District Council.
The council takes its public water supply from bores beneath the Grey River, and though the intake is upstream of the landfill, the council says the dump is still a potential risk.
Public feedback was sought for the landfill's expansion plans, with the company advertising in local media.
The company was now working “proactively” through that feedback with the community and stakeholders and making good progress, a spokesperson told LDR.
The landfill sited above the Grey River has been controversial since it opened in 2021.
Neighbours complained of the stench coming from the dump after it accepted horticultural waste.
The Grey District Council called for the closure of the dump after tests revealed water from an unlined cell was leaching into local drains.
The Environmental Protection Authority took over the WCRC inquiry at the council’s request; shut the dump down, ordered TRPL to dig out and line the offending pit, and eventually cleared it to reopen.
In 2023, two landfill workers were knocked out by poisonous gases in the pit they were clearing.
TRPL and Paul Smith Earthmoving have admitted Worksafe charges of endangering the lives of the two men and will be sentenced for those offences in July.
But TRPL says it now complies fully with Worksafe and environmental requirements, and the landfill poses no risk to the Greymouth water supply.
“We now meet national landfill standards, after making significant investments in the site, and to our health and safety operations.”
The company understood the ‘sensitivities’ around Greymouth’s water supply, particularly given the recent contamination issue – which was not related to the landfill, the spokesperson said.
“We wish to again provide assurances to the community as to the safety of the water supply in relation to our facility.”
“That assurance is based on the landfill location downstream of the supply intake, but also on extensive scientific reports that have found the issue to be one of low to very low risk.”
When the company formally applies for its new resource consent, it will be asking the West Coast Regional Council to publicly notify the application, the spokesperson told LDR
Local Democracy Reporting
Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.
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