The former director of a recycling firm based in Derby has been prosecuted for persistent breaches in permit regulations, a court heard on Tuesday.
A statement from the Environment Agency explained that Warren Steele, a former director of Shows Waste Management, which has now ceased trading, admitted to storing excessive amounts of inappropriate waste that caused fly infestations and foul odour within the local community.
Officers, said the Agency, visited the site to find several permit restrictions breached
Mr Steele, 41, of Shows, which was based in Slack Lane, Derby was given a community order of 80 hours unpaid work and a fine of £10,000 at Derby Crown Court on 25 March 2020. The company was dissolved in June 2019.
Pete Haslock, enforcement team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “Numerous breaches of the permit held by Shows Waste Management were carried out between 2015 and 2016, which resulted in significant fly infestations and had a considerable impact on the local community.
“We received a significant number of complaints regarding large numbers of flies entering residents houses and businesses as well as odours emanating from the site.”
RDF
The breaches caused the widespread discomfort and suffering of local residents who were reportedly confined indoors and forced to keep windows firmly shut to avoid foul odour and fly infestations in their homes, the Agency said in a statement.
And, it added that while it had previously turned down requests to add Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) to the site in October 2015, officers later found the processing of the waste had already commenced. The prolonged storage of RDF waste attracted insects.
Officers, said the Agency, visited the site to find several permit restrictions breached. Large amounts RDF waste on site that had been present for a number of weeks due to a transport issue, as well as stores in the main building that were left for longer than the 48 hours permitted.
There was also the shredding and trommelling of other waste on site that it had not approved.
‘Clear message’
Officers worked to remove the bales of waste and used an insecticide to combat the fly issue. By August 2016 all RDF waste had been cleared.
“We hope that this result will send a clear message to waste recycling operators that we will always take action to protect the environment and ensure that waste recycling companies are operating within their permit,” said Mr Haslock.
“We are actively targeting illegal waste activities across the country and urge all those seeking to become involved in the waste industry to ensure they have the appropriate permits and authorisations in place before commencing their operations.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
