The High Court has granted Calderdale Council’s application for an injunction against people operating an illegal waste site at the former brickworks in Elland, Yorkshire.
Planning enforcement officers from the council have visited the site several times and found evidence that amounted to an alleged breach of planning control. Waste was still being disposed of without the relevant environmental permit, the council explained.
The injunction prohibits a number of activities on the site, such as the importation, deposit, storing and sorting of waste and also requires existing waste to be removed and the land to be restored to its previous condition.
Should the owners and users of the site not comply with the injunction, it would be considered contempt of court, which could result in a prison sentence.
The response from the council highlights the importance of waste compliance. Since the Environment Protection Act became law in 1990, establishments and businesses are required to take responsibility for the waste that they produce and ensure that it is handled and disposed of correctly.
This is your Duty of Care and it starts from the moment you produce the waste and may continue beyond the waste contractor you engage to deal with it. You need to satisfy yourself that not only have you managed the waste you produce correctly on your site, but also that the person that it is given to next is permitted to deal with it and that it will be handled correctly. This Duty of Care can be legally enforced and avoiding the issue can result in large fines, as could be seen with the former brickworks in Yorkshire. You can read more about Duty of Care in this post – The ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ Campaign.
So why do you need Ethical Partnership?
At Ethical Partnership, our business is focused around our values. In everything that we do, we seek to protect and conserve the natural environment and finite resources of the planet and reflect this in the way we advise our clients, design schemes and select our partners. When you come to us, we will provide audits and training in line with the ‘Right Waste, Right Place’ campaign to ensure that you comply with your Duty of Care. This means you will not only be protecting the environment for generations to come, but can result in larger profit margins for your business. Alongside this, it helps ensure that you will not get fined for the illegal mishandling of waste or illegal waste itself. So contact us to help you maximise profit, and together protect the environment for years to come.
You can find out more about the campaign by visiting the Right Waste Right Place homepage.
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