Consents at risk after illegal dumping

A Christchurch waste-collection company charged with alleged illegal dumping may have its trade-waste discharge consents revoked.

The Christchurch City Council has advised Dakins that consents to discharge from its Bromley premises could be cancelled this month because of ongoing breaches. The company and supervisor Leonard Bray were charged in December with allowing trade waste to be discharged in breach of a trade- waste consent.

The cancellation was "very serious" and a decision not taken lightly, council waste and water manager Mark Christison said.

"We seem to be continually going back and having issues with them," he said.

"The city has decided they don't seem to be learning."

Discharge breaches were a major health and safety issue, Christison said.

The company has until February 23 to respond.

Dakins general manager Bruce Russell said the council had "jumped the gun".

"We're dealing with the council now and they're helping us through it. It's not correct at all that they will cancel the discharge."

Company waste records are supposed to match council test results.

However, Russell said the council had not released results for the past five months.

"Since the second week in September, the council has not advised us in any shape or form as to whether there's any difference in that composite sample.

"If there's an anomaly, then yes, we have been warned. If they're all conforming, they've got no right to stop us."

He accepted the company had breached in the past.

"We have had ongoing problems . . . but probably no more and no less than any other organisation in Christchurch."

Dakins and Bray are facing nine charges each in the Christchurch District Court for alleged breaches between January 2008 and August last year. Each charge carries a maximum fine of $200,000.

The case was adjourned last month.

City council and Environment Canterbury inspectors took samples from the Bromley premises of Dakins' waste division in October after a former employee made claims of illegal dumping.

Russell said the consents and court cases were not related. "As far as we're concerned, we've got a very strong case to defend and we will very vigorously."

- © Fairfax NZ News