A director and his Manchester-based company have been hit with substantial fines following a significant breach of environmental regulations
Roydon Resource Recovery Ltd and one of its directors Wilfred Sumner, 66 of Ashbank Avenue, Bolton were convicted of the illegal export of waste. Additionally they were convicted of a disregard for proper management protocols. The prosecution came after 10 shipping containers, containing 247 tonnes of refuse, were unlawfully exported to Poland under the guise of the green list process.
The illegal export, which was claimed to be clean plastics sorted from household waste, instead contained a majority of plastics which were unsuitable for recycling. The waste was also heavily contaminated with other household items including electrical items, nappies and oil cannisters. Roydon, part of a group of recycling companies of which Wilfred Sumner is a director, gained significant financial advantage through these actions.
At a sentencing heard at Manchester Crown Court on 27/03 Roydon Resource Recovery Ltd was found to be directly implicated in this illegal export. The company was ordered to pay a total fee of nearly £870,000, including £811,181 in Proceeds of Crime. The company’s director, Wilfred Sumner, was also ordered to pay a further £10,000.
The prosecution was brought by the Environment Agency following an investigation which found that the company exported waste intended to be incinerated as fuel. There was no intention of it being recycled.
Emma Viner, Enforcement & Investigations Manager said: “The Environment Agency welcome the outcome of this prosecution. Roydon Resource Recovery Ltd and Wilfred Sumner showed a disregard for legislation in place to protect our environment and communities.
Environment Agency officers work tirelessly to tackle this type of criminality and the outcome of this prosecution sends a strong message to those involved in waste crime. Through our investigations and our work under the Proceeds of Crime Act we will ensure that waste crime does not pay and that criminals will be brought to justice.
“Illegal waste operations like this, undermine legitimate businesses, undercut their prices, and blight the environment.
“If people suspect criminal activity, they should report it to our 24-hour incident hotline 0800 807060 or anonymously through CrimeStoppers on 0800 555111.”
Notes to Editors
Make sure your business is legal and check you have the right permit for your activities: https://www.gov.uk/topic/environmental-management/waste
Background:
The UK cannot recycle all the potentially recyclable waste it produces. We do not have sufficient capacity to do so. Some of the excess recyclables are exported abroad for recovery. To try to ensure that our waste does not cause pollution or harm to human health in those countries that take it, the export of waste is strictly regulated. If the regulations are followed these wastes should be properly and safely dealt with.
Plastics come in different types from drinks bottles, to shrink wrap, plastic bags, flowerpots, food trays and containers that were once filled with hazardous substances. Some plastics are easier to recycle than others and some cannot be recycled at all. For instance, the machines that automatically sorts plastics using photo detection technology are unable to see black plastic. So black plastic food trays and flowerpots are difficult and costly to recycle and tend to be rejected from recycling operations. Shrink wrap, and plastics contaminated with the contents they once held and chemicals are also often too costly to recycle.