Weston Aluminium Pty Limited v Environment Protection Authority [2021] NSWLEC 131

Land and Environment Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Weston Aluminium Pty Limited v Environment Protection Authority [2021] NSWLEC 131 Hearing dates: 20 July 2021 Date of orders: 17 November 2021 Decision date: 17 November 2021 Jurisdiction: Class 4 Before: Pepper J Decision: Amended summons dismissed with costs. Catchwords: JUDICIAL REVIEW: whether applicant required to pay waste contribution – whether exemptions to requirement to pay contribution apply – whether the premises are a "scheduled waste disposal facility" – meaning of "disposal" in the context of a thermal treatment plant – whether processing includes disposal – whether the premises are a "scheduled waste facility" only in respect of the storage, treatment, processing or sorting of clinical and related waste, hazardous waste, liquid waste or restricted solid waste (or any combination thereof) – applicant not exempt from paying contribution. Legislation Cited: Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, ss 4.42, 4.46, 4.47, 4.50 Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, ss 6, 48, 50, 58, 88, 115(3), cll 26, 34, 39, 40, 42, 49(1), 50, 50(1) of Sch 1 Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2014, cll 3(1), 20(3), 20(4) Cases Cited: Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action Inc v Environment Protection Authority [2021] NSWLEC 92 Environment Protection Authority v Grafil Pty Ltd; Environment Protection Authority v Mackenzie [2019] NSWCCA 174; (2019) 238 LGERA 147 Gray v Macquarie Generation [2010] NSWLEC 34; (2010) 3 ARLR 454 J.K. Williams Staff Pty Limited v Sydney Water Corporation [2021] NSWLEC 23 Keybridge Capital Ltd v WAM Active Ltd [2021] NSWCA 203 Roache v Australian Mercantile Land & Finance Company Ltd (No 2) (1966) 67 SR (NSW) 54 SAS Trustee Corporation v Miles [2018] HCA 55; (2018) 265 CLR 137 SZTAL v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2017] HCA 34; (2017) 262 CLR 362 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Weston Aluminium Pty Limited (Applicant) Environment Protection Authority (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: Dr S Berveling (Applicant) H El-Hage and T Poisel (Respondent)