A caller to Fairfax Media this week said they were concerned about the leaching materials and makeshift sandbagging in the company’s Kyle Street driveway.

Fairfax Media attended the now-abandoned site on Wednesday and Thursday. A strong oil-like smell could be detected from the street. The firm’s front gates were padlocked.

Owner Rob Pullinger told Fairfax Media last week he had no choice but to put Truegain and Australian Waste Oil Refineries into the hands of insolvency experts.

The company closed its doors last week leaving angry workers owed money and an environmental legacy of toxic materials including the firefighting foams at the heart of the Williamtown RAAF controversy.

One of the plant’s 16 employees who lost their jobs told Fairfax Media yesterday the substances on the driveway were oil and water. “Someone has put together a makeshift bund wall to stop it from going into the car park,” they said.

In February, Hunter Water suspended Australian Waste Oil Refineries’ licence to discharge trade waste into the sewer system due to the detection of wastewater containing perfluorinated compounds in its discharge.

A spokesperson for Hunter Water said the latest matter was an Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) issue and confirmed the company’s suspension remained in place.

An EPA spokesperson said the site was being actively monitored. “Earlier this week, we oversaw the installation of bunds to ensure water was not leaving the site,” the spokesperson said. “We are working with the owner to ensure the site is managed to prevent environmental impact. We are also reviewing our regulatory options to ensure the ongoing maintenance and security of the site.” 

The spokesperson said there were no materials leaking off the site and EPA representatives had been on site twice this week.