Environmental charities will receive a share of £28,500 after three companies in the south west of England breached waste regulations.
The Environment Agency sanctioned Winfield Transport, Ranjit Farming and Gwella Contracting Services over a failure to comply with waste regulations.
All three firms have agreed to invest in local projects through an enforcement undertaking, with the money going to the Woodland Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust and Devon Wildlife Trust.
In agreeing to the sanctions, all three waste companies have put in place measures to ensure full compliance with regulations in the future.
Haulage company Winfield Transport agreed to pay £14,000 to the Woodland Trust and the Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) after depositing waste at a site in Cornwall which was operating illegally.
Over 10,000 tonnes of household, demolition and hazardous waste, including asbestos, were found at the premises.
Winfield Transport, which was responsible for deposits of waste soils and stones between July 2022 and February 2023, has reviewed its procedures and provided refresher training to staff.
Gwella Contracting Services will pay £8,500 to the Woodland Trust after storing asbestos waste at its Exeter and Bristol branches in 2024 without holding a required permit.
The company agreed to carry out a full audit of waste policy and operations, and provide environmental awareness training in company inductions.
Ranjit Farming agreed to pay £6,000 to Devon Wildlife Trust after failing to comply with tonnage limits at its farm near Newton Abbot.
The company has put in place enhanced record-keeping to keep track of how much material has been delivered and when.
A spokesperson for WRT said the charity “carefully considers” any enforcement undertaking before deciding whether to accept it.
“In this case, there was no resulting river pollution linked to the waste disposal error, and we were satisfied that the funding could be directed into a clear, evidence-based restoration project with direct environmental benefit,” they said.
“The £7,000 accepted by WRT immediately helped deliver river restoration works in the Draynes Valley, Cornwall, where partnership working with Fowey Rivers Association is helping to recover vital headwater habitat for salmon and trout by working to improve the stable gravel and cobble habitat needed within the upper River Fowey catchment for salmonid spawning.
“This is exactly the kind of outcome we want to see from this mechanism: funds being turned into practical action on the ground, with lasting benefits for river health and fisheries.”
