Scrapyard fined after ignoring waste regs

Skips full of car batteries, dozens of scrap vehicles and heaps of waste electronic equipment were left lying around a Buckinghamshire scrapyard with little attention given to waste regulations despite numerous warnings.


The owner of the yard in Halton, Michael Komaroni, has been ordered to pay £26,800 in fines, compensation and court costs following an Environment Agency investigation.

Aylesbury magistrates heard that Environment Agency officers visited the site numerous times during 2006 and 2007 and found skips containing large amounts of commercial and industrial waste including waste electronic equipment, glass, wood, tyre rims and metal.

Environment officer Holly Linham said: “We spoke to Mr Komaroni on several occasions and sent him reminder letters, explaining that he needed to apply for a waste management licence.

“However he ignored our warnings and continued to bring additional waste onto the site without the necessary licence.

“By not having a licence the company avoided the cost of installing the correct measures to protect the environment, and put human health and the environment at risk, in an area close to the Grand Union Canal.

“Other operators in the area have either obtained or are applying for waste management licenses and have carried out work to ensure their sites will not harm the environment. Today’s fine should send a clear message that we will not tolerate operators who persistently flout the law.”

On Thursday, March 20 Komaroni pleaded guilty to eight offences of handling waste without the correct licences and a further offence of burning waste illegally.

Sam Bond

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