The verdict was delivered at Wood Green Crown Court in north London this afternoon following around four hours of deliberation by the jury. Evidence from the Environment Agency – which prosecuted the case – and from Biffa had been laid before the court during the two-week trial. Biffa pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Commenting on the verdict, a Biffa spokesperson: “We are disappointed with this outcome and we are considering our position.”
The Environment Agency’s prosecution centred on several containers of material marked as ‘mixed paper’ which were being exported to two paper mills in China.
Verdict
The Agency alleged that the material within the containers had levels of contamination, including nappies, which brought them into contravention of the 2007 Transfrontier Shipment Regulations.
Members of the jury delivered a unanimous guilty verdict against Biffa on two counts of breaching the waste shipment regulations, concluding that the company had been responsible for transporting waste to a country to which the OECD Decision does not apply.
His Honour Judge Auerbach will deliver the sentence at the court on Monday (24 June).
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