P&D Material Recovery Ltd has donated thousands of pounds to an environmental charity as a result of illegal rubbish export from Kent.
At Chatham Dockyard in Gillingham, the business loaded 11 containers with plastic tainted with prohibited garbage in March 2019.
The 2 shipments of plastic scrap, which together weighed about 220 tonnes, were intended for a Turkish plant.
However, the Environment Agency’s intervention and enforcement actions have resulted in a bird charity in Sandwich receiving £13,000 to enhance local habitats.
The Environment Agency’s costs from the investigation, which came to almost £11,000, were also covered by P&D.
During a routine check, this violation of international law regarding the export of unlawful trash was found. In addition to condoms, cotton buds, glass, textiles, including used underwear, and tin cans, it was discovered that the containers included plastic that had been contaminated with soiled diapers and sanitary towels.
The business acknowledged that the examined contents were unfit for export and that it had sent the containers back to its facilities for burning.
To stop repeat violations, the business has promised to hire more employees and hire a business that specializes in creating garbage sorting stations to construct an additional picking station and a supplementary clean-up system.
According to Stephen Young, the Environment Agency’s case lead investigator,
We want all garbage companies and manufacturers to be accountable and ensure that they only export materials that can be delivered legally and securely overseas for recycling.
Illegal trash exports ruin people’s lives and the environment elsewhere.
The Environment Agency has a system of inspections in place to ensure compliance, and all waste exports from the UK must adhere to restrictions on trash shipping.
The £13,000 payment was made by P&D Material Recovery Ltd as a civil penalty, commonly known as an enforcement obligation.
The funds were used for the Sandwich Bay Observatory Trust’s “Restharrow Scrape Project,” which is dedicated to the preservation and documentation of the local natural environment.
A scrape, which is a man-made wetland, serves as a haven for numerous ducks and wading birds.
For the advantage of resting, migrating, and breeding birds, the nonprofit organization reworked and expanded a shallow lake and added an accessible hide.
Black-headed gulls, lapwings, oystercatchers, as well as many pairs of avocets—the first to ever nest in this area of East Kent—are among the birds that may be found here.
Due to their violation of the Transfrontier Shipment of Trash Regulations 2007 and attempted shipment of illegal waste, P&D Material Recovery Ltd, of St. Mary’s Island, Chatham, will pay the Environment Agency’s costs in the amount of £10,845.60.