Soiled nappies, wigs and clothing in illegal shipment despite earlier conviction
A familiar name on bin collection rounds across the country has been found guilty of exporting household waste for the second time in 2 years.
Biffa Waste Services Ltd broke the law sending more than 1,000 tonnes of waste collected from private homes, labelled as paper, to Asia.
An investigation by the Environment Agency prevented 16 25-tonne containers from onward export between Southampton and India and Indonesia in 2018 and 2019. Biffa was also convicted of exporting a further 26 containers that sailed before they could be stopped.
Wood Green crown court heard Biffa logged various items as paper at its depot in north London. The tightly-packed waste included soiled nappies, tins, hairpieces, plastics, as well as clothing and food packaging. Investigators said the bundles gave off a putrid odour.
All of it was destined for 1 paper mill in India and 2 more in Indonesia.
Malcolm Lythgo, head of waste regulation at the Environment Agency, said:
The court was told Biffa, with a £1 billion turnover last year, continued to export waste despite being fined £350,000 for shipping similar prohibited material to China in 2015.
Stephen Young, lead enforcement officer on the recent case for the Environment Agency, said:
Exports of unsorted household recycling waste from the UK to India and Indonesia have been banned since 1994.
All UK waste exports should meet regulations on waste shipments, and the Environment Agency has a system of inspections in place to verify compliance.
The jury did not accept Biffa’s version of events that consignments leaving its premises complied with the law because they contained waste paper.
Biffa Waste Services Ltd, of Coronation Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, was convicted of 4 breaches of regulation 23 of the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations 2007.
They will be sentenced on 30 July at Wood Green crown court.