Newcastle councillor Allan Robinson’s company has been fined for an illegal concrete dump near Maitland.
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It comes just a week after the colourful councillor and ex-jockey was fined individually for waste-related offences.
ARSK Pty Ltd, a company registered in the name of Cr Robinson’s wife, was before Maitland Local Court on Thursday, where it pleaded guilty to the transport of excess waste to an unlawful facility.
It was hit with a fine of $8000, half of which must be paid to Maitland council.
The business was prosecuted by the council after it dumped around 100 tonnes of concrete demolition waste on a property owned by Cr Robinson at Louth Park.
According to court documents, the offences took place between July and December last year.
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When contacted by the Newcastle Herald for comment, Cr Robinson defended the company, arguing the material should not have been deemed as waste.
“It cost me $3000 out of my own money to have that concrete slab cut into pieces that I could handle as square pavers … I was going to use them as the floor of a shed,” he said. “You know how they define waste? When the original owner doesn’t want it any more.”
Cr Robinson established an excavation and demolition business seven years ago. He has had multiple run-ins with authorities over his practices.
Earlier this month, Cr Robinson was fined $750 by the NSW Environment Protection Authority for failing to report the transport of a load of asbestos waste.
Last year, Fairfax Media reported that he had been fined $1000 by Maitland City Council for illegally burning demolition waste on the same property at Louth Park.