Grantham company hits back over plastic dust fine

Grantham-based waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycler, Environcom, has said a case in which it was fined £100 and ordered to pay £35,000 in costs “should never have gone to court”.

On Friday (6 August), the Environment Agency published details announcing the prosecution and fine, following a case at Lincoln magistrates’ court on Friday 30 July.

The statement explained that Environcom had pleaded guilty to one count of breaching its permit, after an incident in 2016 where it was had approximately 2,900 bags or 3,234 tonnes of fine plastic, “in excess of the permitted amount”.

The fine plastic, known as PUR dust, originates when refrigerators and freezers are recycled. The Agency said that this plastic poses a potential fire hazard and is “almost impossible to remove” if it escapes into the wider environment.

In addition to the fine and costs, the statement said the WEEE recycler agreed to give £20,000 to the Lincolnshire Rivers Trust in respect to another related matter.

‘Nominal fine’

However, Environcom has told letsrecycle.com that the incident, which took places five years ago, resulted in “no environmental impact”. It added that it only pleaded guilty to one charge relating to the technical breach of permit, and said other charges were dropped.

“This took place 5 years ago and resulted in no environmental impact, this should never have come to court”- Environcom spokesperson

A spokesperson said: “This took place five years ago and resulted in no environmental impact, this should never have come to court. Such was the judge’s view on this matter that he awarded a nominal fine. The company only pleaded guilty to a technical breach of permit.” The spokesperson also said that four other allegations, to which it had pleaded not guilty, had been withdrawn by the Agency  that were withdrawn by the EA before the court hearing.

Concerned

The Agency said the outcome was a result of a joint approach between the Environment Agency, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities.

The Environment Agency said that it “became so concerned about operations at the site”, along with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, that its officers visited the business 15 times in 4 years.

According to the Agency, Environcom originally had a company that accepted its PUR waste but were informed by them that they could no longer do so due to a fire at their premises in April 2015.

It added that despite this, Environcom continued to accept waste at the site, which caused a potential fire risk.

Obligations

Yvonne Daly, the Environment Agency’s environment manager in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, said: “Poor management and a lack of contingency planning at Environcom resulted in an ongoing fire and pollution risk at the premises.

“We undertook numerous visits to the site working closely with Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service who we thank for their support throughout the investigation. I hope this prosecution acts to remind Environcom and other waste business of their obligations.”