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Owners of Hume pop-up tip previously fined over illegal conduct at two NSW sites

The owners of a controversial 'pop-up' tip in Hume also operated similar sites in NSW, which were fined by the state's Environmental Protection Agency.

Southern State Waste Recycling, which has been operating in the ACT since September 2015, also ran recycling centres in Goulburn and Girraween in western Sydney, with both being fined for illegal conduct.

The Common Street Recycling facility in Goulburn was slapped with a $7500 fine by the EPA in October 2016 for failing to submit a survey on the amount of waste stored at the site on time.

The survey was required by the agency to show the site was compliant with a 5000 tonne limit on stored waste.

The survey was meant to be carried out in June 2016 but wasn't conducted until two months later and was only submitted in October.

The site in Girraween, which operated under the name of Citilight Environment, was fined twice for misconduct in 2014 and 2015.

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Citilight was convicted in court in November 2014 of illegally operating a waste-transfer facility and fined $9000, as well as being ordered to pay $10,000 in legal costs.

The company's director Chris Everston was also fined $6000 for overseeing the illegal operations.

In 2015, The EPA issued Citilight a further fine of $15,000 for breaching the conditions of a clean-up notice requiring the company to remove waste until there was less than 1000 cubic metres at the site.

Mr Everston was also personally fined $7500.

Four days after Citilight was fined by the EPA, the company became deregistered.

While the Girraween recycling facility was taken over shortly afterwards, nearby businesses have told The Canberra Times the site has been abandoned since Christmas last year.

Malcolm Turner, the manager of Bearcat Tyres which operates next door to the site, said large piles of rubbish still remain on the property, with the gates leading into the facility being locked for months.

"It was busy up until Christmas, and then everything went quiet," he said.

"There's still a great big mountain of rubbish and we're currently having an issue with illegal dumping out the front all the way down to the road.

"The dumping activity has increased since the business ceased to operate, and we're completely in the dark as to what's going on."

Robert Master, the general manager of C-Mac Nursery Equipment, said he made several complaints about Citilight to Holroyd Council, airing similar concerns to businesses affected by the pop-up tip in Hume.

"There was lots of dust everywhere, we had to close up all the doors and windows when there was any wind," he said.

While operations have stalled at the Girraween site, the tip in Goulburn is still operating.

A Goulburn Mulwaree Council spokesman said a number of complaints had been received by the council, and complaints were forwarded onto the EPA.

A spokeswoman for the EPA said the Goulburn site was not receiving any further waste and the agency was continuing to monitor the situation.

Goulburn resident Kevin Peterson has been living in the same home for 87 years, which is also right next to the Common Street site, and said the tip has caused him to lose value on his property.

"It's cost me money because my house is now depreciating. A real-estate agent reckons I've lost more than $80,000," he said.

"All the rubbish here has just been abandoned."

Mr Everston declined to comment when contacted by The Canberra Times.