1 minute read
Managing Sediment And Waste
Avoid costly fines and help protect waterways
Twenty-one councils across Sydney, the Hunter and Central Coast, supported by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) take part in a campaign called Get The Site Right. You may or may not have yet had a visit from the EPA during your latest building project. Any building site could be targeted by this campaign, from renovation projects, demolition, landscaping, and new housing estates.
During May 2021, Council Officers inspected 762 sites with 67 per cent of those found to be compliant. A total of $383,167 in fines was issued to building sites that didn’t meet the standards. Offences ranged from significant sediment tracking off the site, concrete slurry washed into stormwater drains, to building supplies being stored on public land. Litter, such as cigarette butts, plastic bottles and food packaging, was also found on many sites,
including several, large residential housing estates. It was identified that more education is required for builders and tradespeople to improve these results. Think about it this way. The runoff that occurs on your worksite will end up in the waterways where you go fishing, boating or swimming. That is the real impact of this mismanagement of worksite waste. Master Builders NSW recognises that education is the key to help reducing building sites impact on the environment. With more education you and your team can be more aware of the environment whilst on the worksite. To avoid the fines from the EPA, we have developed a new course to help you put in place the necessary processes to stop sediment runoff and pollution. 18 MBA NSW | Issue Four | October-December 2021
Introducing our New Managing Sediment and Waste online course
It really isn’t worth receiving a fine for harming the environment. A small investment of your time could save you thousands and save your fishing and recreation waterways. Managing Sediment and Waste is part of our CPD Made Easier series. It’s a 1-hour self-paced online course that earns you 1 CPD point. Develop a positive culture of environmental awareness on the worksite. To find out about our full range of CPD Made Easier courses, go to our website www.mbansw.asn.au/cpd-courses
