Odour complaints lead to fine for Perth composting company
26 January 2011
A waste management company was fined £14,000
at Perth Sheriff Court yesterday (25 January 2011) after offensive
odours from their composting site repeatedly affected residents in
Abernethy in Perthshire. There was also an incident in October
2009, when the company allowed leachate to escape from the
maturation building at the site and, as a result, leachate entered
and polluted the soil.
TEG Environmental Limited pled guilty to three
charges of contravening their permit conditions by failing to
contain offensive odours from the site and to one charge of
contravening their permit conditions by allowing the release of
leachate. These matters were investigated by the Scottish
Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and a report was sent to the
Procurator Fiscal.
On three occasions in 2009 (16 July, 14
August, 6 October) SEPA staff responded to public complaints about
offensive odours in Abernethy. Officers experienced a sickly, sour
odour on each occasion and traced this back to TEG Environmental
Limited’s composting facility at Binn Farm, Glenfarg. In part this
odour was attributed to the large stockpiles of green waste and
some co-mingled waste (green waste and food waste) being stored
under a canopy. The problem was caused when more waste was being
brought onto the site than could be treated. The company could have
diverted the waste to reduce the odour.
SEPA issued a Variation Notice to the company
in early 2010 which required an upgrade of the odour abatement
system and placed limits on the types of waste and where the waste
can be stored.at the site.
Colin Anderson, SEPA Area Manager, said:
“The outcome of this court case emphasises the
need for Operators to comply with the conditions of their Permit.
Where companies do not comply with their Permit, SEPA will not
hesitate to take enforcement action.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The exact charges that TEG Environmental
Limited pled guilty to were:
- On 16 July 2009 at Binn Farm, Glenfarg,
Wellfield House Castlelaw Crescent and, Abernethy, Perthshire you
TEG ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITED, being a permit holder in terms of
regulation 6 of the aftermentioned regulations, did contravene a
condition of said permit which stated that All Emissions to Air
from the Permitted Installation shall be free from Offensive Odour,
as perceived by an Authorised Person, outside the Permitted
Installation Boundary in that on said date at the places above
libelled being places outside the Permitted Installation Boundary
as specified in said permit number PPC/E/1004887 and delineated in
the site plan annexed thereto, offensive odours due to emissions to
air from the Permitted Installation, being the buildings located
within the said Permitted Installation Boundary, were perceived by
two authorised persons namely, David Smith and Tracey Currie, both
officers of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, c/o SEPA,
Perth CONTRARY to the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland)
Regulations 2000 Regulation 30(1)(b) as amended, and the Pollution
Prevention and Control Act 1999 Section 2 –
FINED £4,000
- On 14 August 2009 at Binn Farm, Perth Road
and Main Street, Abernethy, Perthshire you TEG ENVIRONMENTAL
LIMITED, being a permit holder in terms of regulation 6 of the
aftermentioned regulations, did contravene a condition of said
permit which stated that All Emissions to Air from the Permitted
Installation shall be free from Offensive Odour, as perceived by an
Authorised Person, outside the Permitted Installation Boundary in
that on said date at the places above libelled being places outside
the Permitted Installation Boundary as specified in said permit
number PPC/E/1004887 and delineated in the site plan annexed
thereto, offensive odours due to emissions to air from the
Permitted Installation, being the buildings located within the said
Permitted Installation Boundary, were perceived by two authorised
persons namely, Peter Semple and Brendan Craig, both officers of
the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, c/o SEPA, Perth
CONTRARY to the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland)
Regulations 2000 Regulation 30(1)(b) as amended, and the Pollution
Prevention and Control Act 1999 Section 2 – FINED
£2,000
- On 6 October 2009 at Binn Farm, Glenfarg,
Perth Road, Station Road, Abernethy, Perthshire you TEG
ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITED, being a permit holder in terms of regulation
6 of the aftermentioned regulations, did contravene a condition of
said permit which stated that All Emissions to Air from the
Permitted Installation shall be free from Offensive Odour, as
perceived by an Authorised Person, outside the Permitted
Installation Boundary in that on said date at the places above
libelled being places outside the Permitted Installation Boundary
as specified in said permit number PPC/E/1004887 and delineated in
the site plan annexed thereto, offensive odours due to emissions to
air from the Permitted Installation, being the buildings located
within the said Permitted Installation Boundary, were perceived by
two authorised persons namely, David Smith and Tracey
Currie, both
officers of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, c/o SEPA,
Perth CONTRARY to the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland)
Regulations 2000 Regulation 30(1)(b) as amended, and the Pollution
Prevention and Control Act 1999 Section 2 – FINED
£7,000
- On 28 October 2009 at Binn Farm, Glenfarg,
Perthshire you TEG ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITED, being a permit holder in
terms of regulation 6 of the aftermentioned regulations, did
contravene a condition of said permit which stated that Unless
specified elsewhere in this Permit there shall be no emission of
any pollutants to groundwater or soil from the Permitted
Installation in that you did permit leachate to escape from the
maturation building of said Permitted Installation more
particularly described in charges 1 to 6 hereof as a result of
which said leachate entered and polluted the soil; CONTRARY to the
Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000
Regulation 30(1)(b) as amended, and the Pollution Prevention and
Control Act 1999 Section 2 – FINED £1,000