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By amy

February 1, 2006

Burning and failing to dispose of waste correctly can harm the environment.

Anyone found to be doing either activity can face prosecution and fines as a Cumbernauld man found out recently.

On 31 January, John Mitchell of Cherrybank Nurseries, Cumbernauld, was fined £4000 at Airdrie Sheriff Court for failure to dispose of waste correctly and for illegally burning other waste. The case was heard after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) submitted a report to the Procurator Fiscal.

SEPA officers attended Cherrybank Nursery in October 2004 in response to a public complaint. On arrival they found waste items being burned. They also witnessed other waste being stored at the nursery without the necessary waste management licence required from SEPA.

Mr Mitchell was instructed to remove the waste from the land by 11 December 2004 but failed to do so.

David Sandford, investigating officer for SEPA, said: "SEPA was concerned to see waste being burned during our first visit to the nursery. The storage of waste needs to be regulated and controlled to make sure the environment is protected.

Burning waste is not only a nuisance but it can cause serious harm to both the environment and to human health depending on the materials being burned.

"It was also disappointing that the accused failed to remove all the waste from the land and dispose of it correctly, as required. SEPA prefers to work with individuals and organisations to prevent pollution but the accused did not work with us in this instance. When officers confirmed that the notice had not been acted upon, it became clear that further action had to be taken against the accused to ensure he understood his responsibilities to the environment."

Information to help small businesses understand environmental regulation and legislation is available at

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