NI firm Transco Waste fined over waste offences

The fines were imposed at the court on 9 June 2017 and follow guilty pleas at a previous hearing in January 2017.

The department explained that officers from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), HMRC and the PSNI visited a site near Crossmaglen on 30 October 2013 where they uncovered “significant quantities of fuel laundering waste, deliberately hidden under genuine waste within a shed on the company’s premises”. The department point out that this was 25 metres away from a primary school playing field.

Authorised

Documentation was subsequently received by the NIEA, said the department, to show that the company had paid over £4,000 to have the approximately 14 tonnes of waste sent to an authorised site.

An NIEA spokesperson said: “This represents a significant positive outcome insofar as the law has been upheld and convictions secured. However, importantly, the offending waste has also been removed at the expense of the defendants. This means that the environment has been protected without significant cost to the taxpayer.”

Transco Waste has been asked by letsrecycle for a comment. The business, on its website, links to skip hire companies.

Among the fines imposed under Articles of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997, Transco Waste Ltd was fined £4,000 for two charges under Article 4 (1)(b) for keeping controlled waste, or knowingly causing or knowingly permitting controlled waste to be kept on any land except and under and in accordance with a waste management licence.

Vivian Devlin was fined £750 under Article 4 (1)(b) for keeping controlled waste, or knowingly causing or knowingly permitting controlled waste to be kept on any land except and under and in accordance with a waste management licence. And, Paul Devlin was fined £750 under Article 4 (1)(b) for keeping controlled waste, or knowingly causing or knowingly permitting controlled waste to be kept on any land except and under and in accordance with a waste management licence.

A total of £310 in court costs was also awarded.