In September, South Tyneside Magistrates Court ordered a former Northumberland-based recycling business and its Director to pay a combined amount of £54,365 in fines and compensation, after being found guilty of failing to comply with legal obligations.
An investigation by the Environment Agency resulted in Northern Compliance Ltd and its Director pleading guilty for their failure to finance the cost of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collection, treatment, recovery or disposal of household WEEE items, as per their obligations in 2017.
Northern Compliance was an Environment Agency approved WEEE compliance scheme established to assist businesses in meeting their producer obligations under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations SI 2013/3133.
Between December 2016 and April 2018, Northern Compliance Ltd also failed to pay the WEEE Compliance Feed Fund, estimated to be in the region of £1,108,862. Payment of which would have resulted in them conforming to their obligations under the WEEE Regulations for 2017.
The penalties included the Company being ordered to pay £50,900 in compensation to the WEEE Compliance Fee Fund. The second charge saw the Director being ordered to pay a £2,295 fine, a £170 victim surcharge and £1,000 court costs.
The Judge commented that the figures imposed would have been higher had the defendants had the ability to pay, and that the Director had been reckless and "significantly undermined the regulatory regime".
Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is regulated to reduce the amount of WEEE incinerated or sent to landfill sites. Reduction is achieved through various measures which encourage the recovery, reuse and recycling of products and components.
David O'Toole, Regulated Industry Programme Manager for the Environment Agency said "rules and regulations are in place for people and organisations to abide by and when those legalities are broken we aim to bring the perpetrators to justice".
He commented that Northern Compliance Ltd had paid the ultimate price, as the company is no longer trading having had its authorisation revoked, and the Director now has a criminal conviction.
"Hopefully this will make other companies in a similar position of responsibility think twice about breaking the law and pay their compliance fees".
