The verdict, which is final and cannot be appealed, convicts four of those responsible for the company. However, the prison sentences are suspended for a period of two years, provided that they have not committed any crimes during that time.
The First Section of the Bizkaia Court convicted the company Indumetal Recycling SA from Erandio (Bizkaia) and four of its managers for a crime against the environment, with the mitigating circumstance of unnecessary delays.
In the event of a compliant ruling, the court will impose a penalty of two years in prison and a fine of 19,500 euros whoever it was vice president of Indumetal Recycling SA between 2008-2018 and general manager from the company.
He also condemns seven months in prison and a fine of 7,500 euros to the factory manager between 2013 and 2017and at theResponsible and responsible for quality, environment and prevention of occupational risks.
Furthermore, it condemns the legal entity Indumetal Recycling SA to a fine of 60,000 euros for the above crime.
However, in the resolution, the Court of Bizkaia agrees to suspend the execution of custodial sentences for a period of two years, provided that no crimes are committed during that period.
The court declares it proven that the company, which is dedicated to the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, and the rest of the defendants, “each in their own area of responsibility” “systematically” did not comply at least since 2013 and until the start of the investigation into these events, in 2016, with the legal requirements for the management of waste electrical and electronic equipment.
The ruling, which is final and cannot be appealed, states that the company “disposed of raw materials and waste in an inappropriate place and manner, in the open air and in an cracked screed causing leaksa place where they also overturned and broke the equipment, causing it to fall to the ground, using vehicles called ‘octopus’ and ‘bull’.”
It is also specified that although the company had a warehouse for the proper management of all types of waste associated with electrical equipment, a large part of the equipment with cathode ray tubes and LCD screens They were introduced in the so-called line 0, where a mill broke and crushed the equipment that had not been previously disinfected.
So they provoked “all fluorescent dust and mercury” it contained could be released got out of hand nor aspiration.
“The poor management of waste electrical and electronic equipment caused the release to air, soil and water of the chemical elements contained therein, which posed a risk of substantial damage to the quality of the above-mentioned elements,” the ruling added.
In a statement, the company defended that the content of the agreement with the Public Prosecution Service “clearly shows that it has not been proven that the company has caused damage to the health of employees or the environment.”
He also recalled that the waste treatment process in the period 2013-2016 was carried out “in the manner considered the most appropriate and safe as possible, given the conditions in which the collected waste was found at that time. the plant”.
Over the years, the company has indicated that it has “fully” cooperated with the institutions responsible for the investigation. “The company will continue its treatment and recycling operations by using the best available technologies, respecting current legislation and contributing to the promotion of the circular economy,” he concluded.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
