Metals recycler fined £1m as director flees to Lithuania

At Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 14 November 2025, Recorder John Hardy KC imposed the penalty on Platinum Group Metals Recycling.

The Long Sutton company was found to have bought and sold thousands of catalytic converters without the required environmental permit, exposing workers, the public and legitimate businesses to significant risk.

The case also led to the conviction of the firm’s Director Edvars Stancik for operating the illegal waste site.

Stancik, who is believed to be in Lithuania, remains the subject of an active arrest warrant.

Illegal catalytic converter operation

Both the company and Stancik were found guilty on 4 September 2024, after the court heard that neither had obtained the necessary environmental permit to handle catalytic converters, a waste stream that can contain hazardous substances, including valuable but potentially dangerous metals.

Investigators found that Platinum Group Metals Recycling had traded in vast volumes of converters, generating millions in illicit income.

The activity continued despite repeated warnings that the business was operating unlawfully.

Waste firm fined £1 million

The sentencing follows earlier confiscation proceedings held on 16 May 2025, during which Hardy determined that Stancik had benefited by £4,312,925.70 from the illegal enterprise, while the company had benefited by £4,344,827.60.

In imposing the £1 million fine, Recorder Hardy said the level of penalty was necessary to reflect the “gravity of offending” and the scale of environmental harm caused by the illicit business.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency commented: “This sentence sends a clear message to people and businesses that if they commit waste crime they will be fully punished.

“We continue to work alongside partners, including Lincolnshire Police, to reduce crime in the waste sector.

“This is to protect legitimate businesses, communities and the environment.”