Ex-company director prosecuted for exporting banned waste from Droitwich - The Droitwich Standard

Ex-company director prosecuted for exporting banned waste from Droitwich

Droitwich Editorial 13th Aug, 2022   0

A FORMER company director has been prosecuted by the Environment Agency for illegally exporting banned household waste from a site in Droitwich to Indonesia in 2019.

At Kidderminster Magistrates Court this week, (August 10)  Tianyong Wang, 43, of Welcombe Grove, Solihull was fined £1,200 and ordered to pay costs of £10,000.

At an earlier hearing in April 2022 he pleaded guilty to causing his dissolved company Berry Polymer Limited to export the waste to Indonesia.

Shipping documents described the waste as plastic, which can be exported to Indonesia for recycling.




Howard McCann, prosecuting for the Environment Agency, told the court that between 27 June and 5 July 2019, Wang had caused his company to export some 382 tonnes of household waste in 22 sea containers from its site in Droitwich to Indonesia.

Included in the waste were about 1590 nappies or sanitary items, plus 1338 electrical items and about 33,639 tins.


Other contaminants included numerous items of clothing, textiles and rags, and contaminated food and drink cartons.

Mr McCann told the court that the defendant was the sole director of Berry Polymer Limited, a company which was dissolved on 24 August 2021, at the time of the offending.

The offence was discovered by Environment Agency officers who conducted initial inspections of some of the 22 containers at the ports of Southampton and Felixstowein July 2019.

These inspections recorded significant evidence of contamination, flies and, in some containers, a rotting decomposing smell.

When interviewed, Wang, who was abroad at the time, said the material supplied was not as described because his company’s usual bale inspection had either not happened or was sub-standard.

In sentencing, District Judge Strongman said this was a “blunder” by Wang, which had cost him his business and his reputation.

Sham Singh, senior investigating officer for the Environment Agency, said: “This prosecution sends out a strong message that we will investigate and where necessary prosecute anyone found to be involved in illegally exporting waste.

“Waste crime can have a serious environmental impact and puts communities at risk. It undermines legitimate business and the investment and economic growth that goes with it.”

If anyone suspects that a company is doing something wrong, please contact the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 or report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

 

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