News / Environment
Boomeco fined over Avonmouth fly infestation
The recycling firm at the centre of a fly infestation which hit homes and businesses in Avonmouth last summer has been fined £14,000.
Boomeco, based on the Chittening Estate about a mile from Avonmouth Village, was prosecuted by the Environment Agency.
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The firm was temporarily shut down last June after flies were attracted to 40 torn bales of waste, Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard.
The waste was supposed to be sealed in plastic wrapping while it was being stored on site, ready for export to be burned in biofuel power plants.
But forklift trucks split the plastic wrapping, allowing a fly infestation to break out as the compressed waste was exposed.
At the height of the infestation, residents were forced to eat under nets and were advised to keep their windows and doors closed during one of the hottest periods of the year.
The court heard on Thursday that the infestation was not solely down to Boomeco, but the plant played a significant part.
Magistrates ruled the Boomeco must pay £14,000 in fines and a further £4,800 in costs for breaching an environmental permit.
Ian Withers, of the Environment Agency, said: “I think it’s a satisfactory conclusion today for all parties.”
Oliver Latter, managing director of Boomeco admitted the company “should have taken greater care with this waste”.
In a statement after the court case, he added: “We are a responsible business. We have accepted responsibility, apologised to the court and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Stronger procedures are now in place to make sure this situation never occurs again.”
We continue to work closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that our site meets stringent waste management standards.”
The prosecution is likely to aid a class action legal case being brought against Boomeco by residents in Avonmouth seeking compensation.
In June this year the Boomeco site was occupied by environmental campaigners protesting against wood processing and dust pollution.
Days later Bristol City Council renewed a contract with the recycling firm to ship 40,000 of waste to Swedish power plants.