The firm was also ordered to pay £8,000 in costs by Redhill Magistrates Court during a sentencing hearing yesterday (January 13), after it had failed to comply with an Enforcement Notice for the Albury site near Guildford.
The court heard how SITA UK had exceeded the landfill site’s leachate limit which was set out in the permit granted by the Environment Agency.
A total of eight leachate wells were found to be non-compliant with the permit requirement at Albury during 2013 – which sets a maximum leachate level of three metres above the base.
Leachate is the liquid that forms when waste degrades in landfill, which if not properly contained can escape the site and pollute groundwater.
In order to reduce the risk of this happening, landfills are lined with an engineered system on the base consisting of clay overlain by a plastic liner. The clay extends across the base of each cell and up the side slope to a level of three metres above the base.
Guidance
The court also heard how SITA UK had continued non-compliance of its leachate levels despite ongoing guidance and support from Environment Agency officers.
In 2013, Pollution Prevention and Control officers made a number of visits to the site to undertake monitoring, which confirmed that the leachate levels remained high.
Pollution Prevention and Control officer, Neil Martin, said the company had left them ‘with no choice’ but to take the matter to the courts.
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Mr Martin said: “We always seek to work with companies to help them operate within the law and we could not have done more than in this case. Although prosecution is the last resort, SITA UK Ltd left us with no choice but to take the matter to the courts.
“This shows how seriously we take these matters and demonstrates that we will not allow the environment to be put at risk as a consequence of not complying with our environmental permits.”
SITA UK came into compliance with its leachate levels in February 2014, when the company supplemented on-site treatment of leachate by tankering the by-product off-site for treatment elsewhere.
The company is now continuing to focus on completing the capping and restoration of the landfill, which will help reduce the generation of leachate at the site.
A spokesperson for SITA UK said: “Environmental compliance is a key priority for SITA UK and we have invested considerable sums in managing leachate at our Albury landfill site, bringing in specialist contractors and developing new infrastructure to avoid the risk of harm to the environment.
“We are committed to ensuring that we maintain leachate within permitted levels and will continue to work closely with the Environment Agency as the site is restored.”
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