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EPA prosecutes Ashgrove Recycling (W0147-01)

Hearing Date: October 21, 2021

On 21st October 2021, at Cork District Court, Anglesea Street, Cork, the Environmental Protection Agency prosecuted Ashgrove Recycling (W0147-01) for breaching conditions of their Waste Licence.

The company pleaded guilty to the following charges:

  1. Failure to ensure that the facility manager or a nominated suitability qualified and experienced deputy was present on the facility at all times during its operation on the 2nd of February
  2. Failure to ensure that all waste processing was carried out inside the Materials Recovery Building from the 2nd of February 2017 to the 11th of August 2017
  3. Failure to ensure that waste arriving at the facility was directed to the Materials Recovery Building on the 2nd of February 2017.
  4. Failure to ensure that waste arriving at the facility was inspected at the point of entry to the facility and subject to this inspection, directed to the Materials Recovery Building on the 11th of August 2017.
  5. Failure to ensure that all waste for disposal stored overnight at the facility was stored in suitably covered and enclosed containers and was removed from the facility within forty-eight hours of its arrival at the facility from the 27th of January 2017 to the 11th of August 2017
  6. Failure to ensure that waste activities at the facility were restricted to those listed and described in Part I: Activities Licensed and authorised by the said Licence, namely, waste was deposited on to land at the facility from the 2nd of February 2017 to the 11th of August 2017.
  7. Failure to provide a Waste Quarantine Area within the Materials Recovery Building on the 2nd of February 2017.
  8. Failure to ensure that the Waste Quarantine Area was maintained in a suitable manner and was clearly identified on the 11th of August 2017.
  9. Failure to ensure that all loose litter or other waste, placed on or in the vicinity of the facility, other than in accordance with the requirements of the said Licence, were removed, subject to the agreement of the landowners, immediately and in any event by 10:00 am of the next working day after such waste was discovered from 2nd of February 2017 to the 11th of August 2017.
  10. Failure to ensure that waste was only accepted at the facility from known customers or new customers subject to initial waste profiling and waste characterisation off-site and fail to ensure that there was no casual public access to the facility on the 11th of August 2017.
  11. Failure to ensure that only uncontaminated surface water was discharged to the storm water sewer located to the North of the facility on the 2nd of February 2017.
  12. Failure to keep all doors in the Materials Recovery Building closed where possible and fail to install an odour and dust management system from the 2nd of February 2017 to the 11th of August 2017.
  13. Failure to maintain an impermeable hardstanding surface in the areas of the facility as described in Attachment D.1 (C) of the application from the 2nd of February 2017 to the 11th of August 2017.

On hearing evidence from the Agency and the Company, Judge King convicted the Company on all charges except charge 8, which was taken into consideration. He imposed fines which totalled €45,000 and costs were agreed.