Recycler Fined for ‘Tyre Mountain’

Carlisle based recycler Envirotyre Limited has been issued a £20,000 fine for allowing the tyres stored at its premises grow to become what has been described as a ‘tyre mountain.’ The company pleaded guilty to nine offences related to the unlicensed storage and treatment of waste at its site. Commenting on the case, officials from the Environment Agency said that Envirotyre has displayed a blatant disregard for the regulatory controls put in place to protect the environment.

A court in Carlisle heard that, instead of the maximum 1,000 tyres Envirotyre was permitted to store, a routine Environment Agency inspection uncovered several thousand tyres, and the on-site shredding of tyres. The company was warned that it required a waste management licence if it intended to shred tyres or intended to keep such large quantities at the site. However, despite numerous reminders, Envirotyre continued to store more tyres than the thousand permitted by its registered exemption, and the company did not apply for the necessary waste management licence, thereby avoiding a £5,318 application fee and annual fees of £2,131.

Martin Swensson, prosecuting, said: “Envirotyre could and should have stopped taking in more waste tyres until they obtained suitable premises, the necessary planning permission and waste management licence to enable them to continue an operation of that size and scale.”