A WASTE management firm based in Clackmannanshire has been handed the largest ever fine under proceeds of crime legislation.

Oran Environmental Solutions Ltd. was prosecuted for three separate contraventions of the Environmental Protection Act at Alloa Sheriff Court.

All three offences were in respect of their treatment facility based at Kilbagie Mill, between December 2012 and August 2013.

After tendering a guilty plea on February 16 last year, the Crown then pursued a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

The case then called again in Alloa on Monday (February 15) and the firm was told to pay £345,558.43 by Sheriff Christopher Shead.

After the sentence was handed down, Calum MacDonald, executive director at the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa), welcomed the stern approach taken.

He said: “This sends out a clear and unequivocal message that environmental crime will not be tolerated and that Sepa will, with its partners, pursue those who seek to profit from waste crime.

“Compliance within the waste industry is non-negotiable and we will continue to take effective and proportionate action as required to tackle non-compliant waste operators.

“The confiscation order reflects the costs avoided by the company in undertaking these illegal activities and is the result of close collaborative working arrangements between Sepa and the Crown Office.”

POCA is intended to recover the financial benefit derived from criminal activity, and this week’s ruling represents the single biggest order made under the legislation.

Oran was also fined £12,000 for the waste related offences, which arose due to non-compliance with enforcement action by Sepa.

The company’s failed to remove waste materials from their Kilbagie Mill site following enforcement action by SEPA; stored controlled waste on land without a license in effect; and failed to carry out adequate pest control measures at the facility.

In 2013, Sepa officers inspected the site and found the firm had been using an unlicensed area of their site to store additional waste.

The main site was at capacity and, as a result, existing stockpiles had begun to be kept out with the boundaries of the licensed site.

In an effort to ensure compliance at Kilbagie Mill, two enforcement notices were served, requiring Oran to cease accepting waste and also remove the backlog of stockpiled waste.

However, the firm failed to comply and Sepa partially suspended their waste management licence to prevent more wasted being accepted.

Further enforcement action was also taken to ensure that waste on unlicensed areas of the site was removed.

The backlog of waste resulted in Sepa receiving numerous complaints from local residents about pest control at the facility, including the increased presence of vermin, flies and birds.

Many of the complaints noted that residents felt the facility had unfairly impacted on the local community.

Sepa then referred the case to the Crown, due to “the potential impact on the local environment” and the firm’s “uncooperative nature”.

When the case was taken to court, Oran was convicted of, between 23 April and 23 May, 2013, failing to remove controlled wastes -- such as food and drinks packaging, black bag waste, plastic packaging, wood, sawdust, cardboard, aluminium cans, paper, cables, waste fines, metals, wood, plastics, textiles, wooden pallets, metal drums, builders sacking, metal scaffolding, cement, plastic gloves, partially baled and partially wrapped unsegregated household and commercial waste which included carrier bags, metal drinks cans, milk cartons and plastic soft drink containers; tents, sleeping bags, tent poles, textiles, plastic bags, demolition rubble, bricks and concrete -- having been required to do so by law.

Furthermore, between 23 May and 14 August, 2013, the firm did keep this controlled waste on site when no waste management licence in force.

Finally, between 29 December 2012 and 14 July 2013, Oran did fail to segregate “putrescible and non-putrescible” waste on the site; and between May 2 and July 14, 2013, did fail to carry out appropriate site operations in that stockpiles of waste were kept in such a manner that was likely to encourage the presence of insects vermin and birds.