30/06/2005 - The owner
of a recycling centre at Hayle, Cornwall was
today ordered to pay £6,265 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 tonnes 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 the owner,
Christopher Lello, the acceptance of non-permitted
waste at the site and waste not being stored
in containers.
A survey of the recycling centre was carried
out on May 23, 2003 in which it was estimated
13,000 tonnes was being kept on site – approaching
double the permitted level of 7,500 tonnes.
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 Camborne
today, Christopher Ian Lello, 64, of The Bungalow,
Treeve Lane, Connor Downs, Hayle, Cornwall,
was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay
£1,265 costs after pleading guilty to
offences under the Environmental Protection
Act 11000 including breaching his waste management
licence.
