Wolverhampton-based composting firm, Simpro Ltd, has this week (December 7) been ordered to pay over £40,000 in fines and costs by Dudley Magistrates' Court after the Environment Agency found that its Stourbridge green waste site was causing "unacceptable" odours.

The Environment Agency (EA) reported that the company was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £26,162.65 and a victim surcharge of £15 for treating and keeping composting material in a way that caused pollution of the environment over a four month period in 2007.

The open windrow green waste site, at Iverley Park Farm, was situated within 500 metres of residential properties and in 2007 a number of complaints were made by neighbours regarding odours.

The EA said: "Smells from a composting site in Stourbridge resulted in numerous complaints from local residents after decomposing waste was not handled adequately."

The EA said that it origninally contacted Simpro in early October 2007 and a letter was sent to the company, which operates several green waste treatment sites across the Midlands, detailing issues of concern along with recommendation of how the site could be improved.

However, on a follow-up visit at the end of October, EA and South Staffordshire district council officers found the odour was still an issue. The Agency also saw that the facility, which was operating under exemptions allowing it to treat under 1,000 tonnes of material without a permit a year, was composting too much green waste. So, in addition to the odour court case, the site was removed from the Register of Exempt Activities.

This action removed permission for the site to operate as a waste facility and the EA said the site has not accepted waste since November 2007. A spokeswoman for the EA confirmed that the Ilverley Park Farm site had been closed down.

In court, Simpro's defence counsel, Richard Kimblin, said that excessive rainfall was a contributing factor to the problem and explained that the material was wet when it was delivered to the site.

Speaking after the hearing, Doug Freakley, EA environment management team leader for the site, said: "While we, of course, support appropriate recycling we are also aware of the problems that green waste sites can cause. While we endeavour to work with site operators and local residents to resolve issues, if necessary and where the required evidence can be obtained we will take enforcement action."

Simpro

Commenting on the case, Simpro's operations director David Tipton said that the company had pleaded guilty to causing odour at the Stourbridge site between July and October 2007, but stressed that this was because of "exceptional" rainfall in the period.

He explained that the water had caused the composting process to become anaerobic, thereby causing more odour - which was an industry-wide problem at the time. This was despite the company making every effort to combat the problem.

Mr Tipton also stressed that the moment the Agency had withdrawn the site's exemption, the company stopped taking waste in at the site.

He said: "We operate six other sites in the Midlands and we have not had a single enforcement action against any of them in many years of operation.

"We are a professional organisation that takes our responsibilities very seriously."