Hills Waste Solutions hit with 20,000 fine

The waste management company – which is part of Hills Group along with Hills Quarry Products and Hills Property – has been fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £16,300 in costs in a case brought by the Environment Agency last Friday (December 5).

The court heard how, in July 2006, a tear in the plastic liner at the company's landfill site in Blunsdon near Swindon had resulted in the effluent leachate escaping into a surface water ditch, which was also a tributary of the River Ray.

Samples of the leachate taken at the time found the leachate to be so concentrated as to pose a threat to fish and other aquatic life. The un-ionised ammonia levels at the point of discharge, which can alter the amount of oxygen in the water, were 58 times higher than the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Committee's (EIFAC) legal limit.

Environment Agency officer, Jo Moakes said: “The protection of our water resources is one of our top priorities at the Environment Agency. Not only is protection of fish and aquatic life important, but equally, we need to ensure that the recreational, agricultural and industrial uses of our river environments are preserved.”

“Although the company had carried out immediate remediation works, the court stated that the company had not carried out a survey, that they had not been aware of the leak until a member of the public reported the leak to the Environment Agency and that there was a considerable potential for harm,” she added.

Fine

The costs incurred at the Blunsdon site follow a £40,800 fine handed to the waste management company in July after a separate Environment Agency investigation found that Hills failed to monitor its leachate levels or implement an emergency leachate management plan at its Compton Bassett landfill site in Calne near Wiltshire (see letsrecycle.com story).

Ms Moakes said: “Waste management is a very serious business. Hills Waste is a large regional operator of at least four sites in Wiltshire and Oxfordshire and they are well aware of the risks involved and their responsibilities in conducting this kind of work.

“Putting public health and the environment at risk is completely unacceptable and today's decision by the courts reflects this. We hope today's result encourages all waste companies to ensure they have the appropriate pollution prevention procedures in place to ensure they are fulfilling the terms of their licence conditions,” she added.