The owner of a British recycling center in Cornwall was ordered to pay £6,265 (US$11,000) in fines and costs for storing excessive quantities of waste at his site. The case was brought by the Environment Agency.
North Quay Recycling Centre is licensed to receive and treat inert waste and degradable industrial waste. Substances such as wood, metal and plastic are screened out and then the remaining rock and soil substances are graded into various sizes which are then sold on for re-use.
Owner Christopher Lello, is permitted under the terms of his waste management license to keep up to 7,500 metric tons of material on site.
Environment Agency officers paid regular visits to North Quay Recycling Centre. A new waste management license was issued for the site on January 31, 2000. Since spring 2003 Agency officers became increasingly concerned at the quantity of waste materials kept at the site. They also discussed with Lello the acceptance of non-permitted waste at the site and waste not being stored in containers.
A survey of the recycling center was carried out on May 23, 2003 in which it was estimated 13,000 metric tons was being kept on site – approaching double the permitted level of 7,500 metric tons.
By the end of the year it was obvious that despite being given warnings and advice, there was no reduction in the quantities of waste on site, in fact it seemed to be increasing. An enforcement notice effective from 1 January 2004 was issued giving six months to reduce the quantities of waste. The notice also required new containers to be introduced, and for different wastes to be kept one metre or more apart.
"We had given numerous warnings but the problems continued and we were left with no option but to prosecute," said Andrew Blewett for the Environment Agency.
Appearing before magistrates in Camborney, Lello was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,265 costs after pleading guilty to offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 including breaching his waste management license.