TWO different businesses in St Austell and Mevagissey have been ordered by magistrates to pay fines and costs for failing to show they had disposed of their waste legally.

Daniel Manning, proprietor of Sea Dogs Barbers in St Austell, pleaded guilty at Bodmin Magistrates Court to failing to provide waste transfer notes as requested by Cornwall Council. The business was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £2,500 towards costs.

Meanwhile, Dave Lee, of Little China in Mevagissey, pleaded guilty at the same court to failing to provide waste transfer notes as requested by the council. The Chinese takeaway was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 towards costs.

The council offered both businesses the option to discharge the offences through fixed penalty notices but, because they did not respond, the matters proceeded to court.

The Little China takeaway in Church Street, Mevagissey. Picture: Google
The Little China takeaway in Church Street, Mevagissey. Picture: Google (Picture: Google)

The council said that there is a legal responsibility under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 on all businesses to:

• Make sure their waste is stored correctly and does not escape their control

• Only give their waste to an authorised person (a waste disposal company that can legally take it)

• Make sure a written record of the waste is kept every time the waste is passed to a waste disposal company for a minimum of two years.

This applies to retail businesses, B&Bs and holiday rentals as well as manufacturing, agriculture and food businesses.

The businesses, no matter how small, must pay a licensed commercial waste collector to dispose of their rubbish and recycling. Waste transfer notes are legal documents to show a company has passed waste onto a business which has the appropriate licence to collect it.

Councillor Martyn Alvey, Cornwall’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said: “The household waste service is paid for by taxpayers and should not be misused by businesses.

“Any waste created in business premises or by a business is considered business waste and cannot be collected by us or taken to the household waste and recycling centres. I urge all businesses to ensure they have an appropriate waste collection contract in place with a registered waste carrier.”