UK firms fined for waste exports.doc

UK firms fined for waste exportsUpdated: 2012-02-24 08:11LONDON - Two British businesses responsible for attempting to illegally export 259 tons of mixed waste to China were fined the maximum amount on Wednesday. The businesses disguised 10 containers of mixed waste as scrap metal for export but were discovered at Felixstowe, the largest British port, during a routine inspection by the British governments regulatory body Environment Agency. The last time illegal shipments to China caused a public stir was in 2005, when more than 1,000 tons of contaminated British household refuse disguised as waste paper was intercepted in the Netherlands. Under current international shipping laws, OECD countries can only export waste to non-OECD countries for recycling, and not disposal. Because mixed waste falls into the disposal category, it cannot be exported, as opposed to scrap metals that can be recycled into manufacturing products in countries such as China. Although the containers were labeled as aluminum from construction and demolition waste, inspectors found in them a mix of steel car parts, copper wiring, circuit board, chipboard and wood fragments, glass, foam, brick, stone and other waste material. The exporting company is Chungs UK Ltd, which sources and exports scrap metal and plastic to sell, mainly to China. The containers were loaded at BW Riddle, a vehicle dismantling and metal recycling site in the English Midlands. BW Riddle was fined 15,500 pounds ($243,000) and Chungs UK Ltd 11,500 pounds. BW Riddle partner Colin Riddle said that he was surprised and disappointed to have unintentionally breached the law. He said that he was not aware that the sale of non-hazardous mixed waste comprising mainly of metal, plastics and rubber to an exporter, exporting to China, was subject to specific requirements. He said that it was a technical breach and he did not intend to commit an offense, adding that there will be no further exports of such waste in contravention of the regulations. Riddle set up the company with his late father in 1973 and has worked in the recycling industry for nearly 40 years without any previous environmental convictions. Both companies admitted that it was not the first time they had exported this type of waste to China without notification or consent from the authorities, according to Miriam Tordoff, prosecuting lawyer for the Environment Agency. Preventing the illegal export of waste is a top priority for the Environment Agency, and we will take action where we find evidence of illegal waste movement, said Claire Parker, an agency officer. The agency established a National Environmental Crime Team in 2008 to help prevent illegal waste exports. Andrew Higham, NECTs manager, said that in recent years his team has moved away from random inspections to an intelligence led approach. So in excess of 90 out of 100 containers that we stop, we will find some offense, Higham said, adding that another case of attempted illegal export to China, discovered earlier this year, is still to be investigated. He said that illegal exporters make significant monetary gains from such activities. For example, it may cost 50 pounds to dispose of an old TV in a legal and environmentally friendly way in Britain, but on average just 1 pound to ship it abroad. To be frank, it is impossible to stop all crime, said Higham, so what we try to do in moving forward is to make our inspections more targeted and have better outcomes. The illegal export of British waste has long been suspected, but the scale of the trade has only recently come to light. In 2009, more than 90 containers labeled as mixed plastics were sent back to Britain after Brazilian authorities found they contained household waste. Last year, a British electrical recycling company was found to be illegally shipping old computers to Afghanistan. China Daily 英国公司罚款废物的出口更新：2012-02-2408:11伦敦-英国两家企业负责企图非法出口259吨混合废物中国被罚款的最高金额的星期三。企业变相10容器混合废料废旧金属出口，但被发现的图片，这是英国最大的港口，在一次例行检查由英国政府管理机构，环境署。最后一次非法运往中国造成社会轰动的是2005，当超过1000吨受污染的英国家庭垃圾伪装成废纸被拦截在荷兰。在当前国际航运法律，经合组织国家只能出口废物非经合组织国家回收，而不是处理。因为混合废物落入“处置”的范畴，它不能出口，而不是金属废料可以回收到中国等国家制造的产品。虽然容器被标记为“铝建筑及拆卸废物”，检查人员发现，在他们的混合车件，铜布线，电路板，纸板和木材碎片，玻璃，泡沫，砖，石及其他废旧物资。出口公司chungs英国有限公司，它的来源和出口废金属和塑料销售，主要以中国。集装箱被装在体重谜语，车辆拆解和回收的网站在英国米德兰。体重谜被罚款15500英镑（243000美元）和chungs英国有限公司11500磅。体重谜谜伙伴柯林说他是“惊讶和失望”，有“无意”违反了法律。他说他“不知道，销售非危险混合废物主要包括金属，塑料和橡胶的出口商，出口到中国，是受到具体要求”。他说这是“一个技术突破口”，他“不打算承诺”的进攻，并补充说：“将不会有进一步的出口的废物违反本条例”。谜语公司成立与他已故的父亲在1973和“曾在回收行业近40年前没有任何环境的信念”。两家公司都承认，这不是他们第一次出口这类废物的中国没有通知或同意从机关，根据米里亚姆托多夫，起诉律师为环境署。“防止非法出口废物是最优先的环境机构，我们将采取行动，我们找到证据的非法活动，”克莱尔说，一个机构人员。该机构成立了国家环境犯罪小组2008帮助防止非法出口。安得烈海厄姆，接下来的经理，说，近年来他的团队已经从“抽查”到“情报主导的方式”。“超过90的100个集装箱，我们停下来，我们会发现一些进攻，“海厄姆说，补充