Scotland’s environmental regulator is warning that illegally burning waste may end in monetary penalties after serving a £600 civil penalty on an organization which operates a lodge and restaurant lodges in Crianlarich.
Crianlarich Ben Extra Restricted, which operates Ben Extra Lodge Lodge and Restaurant, was served the Mounted Financial Penalty (FMP) by the Scottish Surroundings Safety Company (SEPA) after the regulator discovered that they burned waste on the lodge in Crianlarich. There was no authorisation allowing disposal of waste by burning on the location.
SEPA obtained a report of burning and two officers attended to research on the sixteenth June 2023. They met a person, later confirmed as a Director of Crianlarich Ben Extra Restricted, who suggested that they’d had fires over the earlier week and confirmed the officers a burned space containing burned wooden and brush, with small quantities of metallic, chipboard and nails amongst the ashes.
Whereas onsite, the officers discovered one other space with objects of burned or partially burned managed waste. These included burnt mattress springs, insulation, carpet, under-carpet, handled wooden, plastic bottles, paint tins, metallic objects, glass, ceramics and chipboard.
SEPA stated it was happy that Crianlarich Ben Extra Restricted disposed of managed waste by burning and an FMP is suitable on this case.
Calum McGregor, of SEPA’s Environmental Crime Staff stated:
“Illegally burning waste is unacceptable, and infrequently executed to keep away from the fees for taking wastes to permitted waste websites for restoration or disposal. Burning releases dangerous gases when inappropriate waste. As well as, any ash and waste which is left behind may pollute floor and groundwater.
“This civil penalty ought to act as a warning to others that we’ll take motion towards those that ignore Scotland’s environmental laws. I’d urge anybody disposing of waste to deal with burning as a final possibility, and to make sure that they examine what authorisations can be required. When you’re undecided get in contact with us, we’re glad to offer recommendation and steering. I need to be very clear that those that search to do the correct factor will discover a useful and supportive regulator. When you intentionally do the mistaken factor, we’ll take applicable enforcement motion.”
Civil penalties
SEPA says it could actually challenge FMPs for related offences – they aren’t out there for all offences. “FMPs are usually applicable the place an offence has not induced environmental hurt or has induced minimal environmental hurt with no lasting environmental results or impacts on communities, for administrative offences and the place little (if any) monetary profit arises from the offence.”
“They sit alongside different enforcement instruments out there to SEPA workers, together with recommendation and steering, ultimate warning letters, statutory enforcement notices, different civil penalties, together with Variable Financial Penalties (VMPs) and stories to the Procurator Fiscal.”
“SEPA’s enforcement motion is designed to safe compliance with regulatory necessities, defending and enhancing the surroundings. It goals to deliver exercise underneath regulatory management, cease offending, cease hurt or scale back the chance of hurt arising from non-compliance. It is usually designed to make sure restoration or remediation of hurt attributable to regulatory non-compliance the place applicable.”
