Enviroserv to be criminally charged over toxic landfill site

Enviroserv is to face criminal charges over its alleged non-compliance with waste management conditions. A report in The Mercury notes that this is according to the Department of Environmental Affairs, which also said last week that it had no doubt that the firm was responsible for the odour in the Upper Highway area. The department said the waste management company could be fined up to R10m over charges relating to its alleged non-compliance of conditions of its waste management licence and for non-compliance with the national Air Quality Act. It also faces a charge for allegedly not fulfilling certain duties of care according to provisions contained in the National Environmental Management Act. The site, which deals with hazardous waste, has since August been under strict investigation by the department, and has been forced to close many of its operations. The department said closing the landfill was one of the options being looked at. It also could not rule out that the odour emanating from the site could cause damage to the health of those who lived nearby, as many disgruntled residents have claimed. Enviroserv CE Dean Thompson said the company had been served with the charges, but called these ‘premature’. The charges had ‘omitted to consider a number of relevant considerations’ and would therefore be opposed, according to the report.