Atlantic Recycling Ltd fined for waste fire safety permit breaches

Atlantic Recycling Ltd has been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court and fined £40,000 for contravening a condition of its environmental permit for its waste site in Cardiff.

The penalty was imposed on 6 January 2026 following a guilty plea by the company to an offence of failing to comply with a condition of its permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 concerning fire safety requirements.

The offence increased the risk of fire at the site, which stores highly combustible Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). The site had previously experienced serious fires in 2014 and 2015.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) brought the prosecution after inspections revealed the company’s failure to manage operations in line with its own Fire Prevention and Mitigation Plan.

The offence comprised:

• The separation distance between waste stockpiles being less than the required 12 metres
• The height of waste stockpiles exceeding the 4-metre limit
• Failure to provide a quarantine area large enough to hold 50% of the largest waste stockpile

The company continued to accept additional waste in July 2019, despite agreeing with NRW to stop, and failed to maintain the required quarantine area to manage fire risk.

The offences were aggravated by previous convictions, history of non-compliance, and the site’s location near sensitive environmental areas and residential communities.

At the sentencing hearing, the court imposed the following penalties on the company:

• Fine: £40,000
• Costs to NRW: £28,000
• Victim surcharge: To be decided

The level of fine for environmental offences is set by the courts and is based on the level of harm, culpability, and the financial means of the defendants.

The sentencing judge, Her Honour Judge Celia Hughes said:

“After considerable court time reviewing the evidence in this case, I am left with a sense of relief that I am sentencing this company merely for three breaches of its environmental permit, rather than for a more egregious criminal offence.

“The company ran a risk of causing serious environmental consequences by cutting corners, by ignoring its own Fire Prevention and Mitigation Plan and the requirements set out by NRW, even when it was warned about its behaviour.

“It is fortunate that nothing more serious arose from those breaches and I am told that the company has now taken more steps to comply with its enormous responsibility to run a safe and environmentally sensitive business on Welsh land.”

Regina Simmons, Industry Regulation Team Leader for NRW, said:

“This case sends a clear message that we will take robust action against companies that fail to comply with environmental permits.

“These rules exist to protect people, property, and the environment from serious risks such as fire. Operators must take their responsibilities seriously and manage waste safely and lawfully."

Suspected waste offences can be reported to NRW 24/7 via an online form or by calling its incident line on 0300 65 3000.