Hahn Group let “diesel-like” cooking oil waste, “16.2 times lethal levels,” according to evidence tendered in court, flow into wetlands that supported the vulnerable Wallum froglet.

The company was fined $130,000, a conviction was ordered and the company was ordered to pay costs of $32,124. Hahn’s executive officer was fined $40,000.

In addition, a Brisbane asbestos removal company was convicted and fined $25,000 for dumping more than 150 tonnes of asbestos at New Chum and Swanbank landfills without state government approval.

Wharton’s Demolitions and Asbestos Removal took 65 truckloads of asbestos to the dumps without approval between October 2015 and August 2016 despite being constantly warned.

Wayne Wharton was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay $1500 in legal costs and investigation costs of $1342.

In September 2017 a magistrate at Ipswich Magistrates Court ruled Mr Wharton did not have the environmental authority to dump the 150 tonnes of asbestos.

On Monday, Mr Wharton told Fairfax Media his licence to dump asbestos had expired, but it had since been renewed.

“I didn’t pay the $1500 licence to transport it,” he said.

Mr Wharton was warned to renew his licence but did not because, he said, he was at the time “broke and in hospital”, but had since paid for the licence.

The two companies are among 12 fined by the Environment Department’s Operation Tora for ignoring Queensland waste dumping legislation and dumping waste illegally.

Operation Tora is a specialist investigations unit cracking down on waste disposal.

Overall councils, glass recyclers, a chicken abattoir, compost companies, tyre and waste recyclers all failed Queensland’s waste recycling regulations in 2017-18 after 4750 investigations, the department’s annual report said.

The department said its investigators were targeting operators who ignored the law.

The Department of Environment and Science receives 65 per cent of its operating revenue, $627 million, from the Queensland government.

It receives $97 million from fees, fines and issuing permits.

It also receives $54 million from grants and contributions mostly from the federal government.

Most of this money went towards restoration programs, monitoring climate change and changes to the Great Barrier Reef, the report showed.

The report showed wildlife staff went to 755 sightings of crocodiles and removed 98 per cent of them within three months if they posed problems to people.

The portfolio was enlarged during the year after the 2017 state election to include the arts portfolio, national parks and wildlife service, science and the Office of the Chief Scientist.

Its staffing doubled from 1211 full-time staff to 2982 full-time staff by June 30, 2018.

Two of the major initiatives for 2108-19 are introducing Queensland’s 10 cent Container Refund Scheme and the ban on plastic bags.

The department will also review its koala offsets policy in 2019 as the new koala management strategy is refined and will release a new policy in flying foxes in urban areas, the annual report says.