At Dunfermline Sheriff Court today (22 June 2001) Snowie Ltd were found guilty of a breach of section 33(1)(c) of the Environmental Pollution Act 1990 and were fined £5000. The decision was made after a three-day trial. The charge was that the waste recycling company disposed of waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.

The incident occurred at Muirside of Kinnedar Farm, south of Saline, West Fife, in 1998. Snowie Ltd had injected waste into land; namely yeast cell debris, tannery effluent sludge, food processing effluent and pot ale from the distilling industry. The waste found its way into field drains and thereafter from a drainage outfall to the Blair Burn where it had a polluting effect.

SEPA argued that the manner in which the company had carried out the disposal activity, in particular injection of the waste over a main drain, was such that pollution was likely to be caused.

ENDS