A North Tyneside waste storage company has been ordered to pay a total of £14,400 for allowing offensive odours to escape from its waste transfer warehouse at Davey Bank, Wallsend, on two occasions.
Impetus Waste Management (Impetus) was brought to North Tyneside Magistrates' court yesterday (18 September), after Environment Agency (EA) inspection officers found the company to be in breach of its environmental permit, which requires ‘the control of pollution including odour’.
Prosecuting for the EA, Nigel Augustin told the court that local residents had complained about the smell emanating from the site on two occasions: once in August 2012 and again in January 2013. An EA officer had visited the site on both occasions, noting that on the first occasion the doors of the building were left open, allowing the odours to escape. He explained that the problem was exacerbated because it appeared that ‘no odour suppression systems were in operation around one of the doors.’ Augustin added that in January 2013, an EA officer visited the site on three occasions to carry out ‘sniff tests’, and concluded that the odour present would cause ‘serious detriment to the amenity of the locality outside the site boundary’.
In its defence, Impetus explained that on the first occasion the doors were left open for vehicle access and that the suppression systems had been switched off to allow for the installation of new machinery. Regarding the second offence early this year, Impetus explained that it was ‘let down by its usual haulier’ following a build up of waste over Christmas.
The company was found to be in breach of its environmental permit and was fined £9,990. Impetus was also ordered to pay £4,311.33 costs, with a victim surcharge of £100.
Sophie Webster, Environment Management Team Leader at the Environment Agency, suggested the verdict should act as a warning for other waste management firms. She said: “We hope today’s sentence demonstrates the importance of environmental compliance. Waste sites such as this can have a detrimental impact on local communities if they are not managed according to the conditions of their environmental permits.
“Although this legal case has now concluded, the Environment Agency is continuing to work with Impetus to drive further improvements at this site.”
Read more about Impetus Waste Management.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.