A COURT HAS ordered a Limerick recycling plant to pay a €10,000 donation towards assisting people fleeing Ukraine after it admitted breaching waste management legislation.

It breached legislation by not having fire safety equipment after a fire broke out at the plant.

In a statement, the local council welcomed a decision by Limerick District Court against United Metal Recycling (Ireland) Limited, which ordered that the company pay the large charitable contribution to the Red Cross Ukrainian Appeal in lieu of a criminal conviction.

The matter against United Metal Recycling, and prosecuted by the joint local authority, came before the court last Friday.

The firm has been operating a waste permitted facility at Eastway Business Park, Ballysimon Road, Limerick since October 2010.

A fire occurred at the facility in the early hours of 4 August 2021, which the court heard was the second fire at the facility in three years, after another fire occurred in August 2018.

“The company pleaded guilty to the summons under Section 39 of the Waste Management Act 1996, for breaches to conditions of their waste facility permit,” read a statement from the Council. 

“The breaches were in relation to operating outside the hours specified in their permit and for not having adequate fire extinguishers and emergency response equipment maintained on-site,” it said.

“The company did not receive a conviction but were ordered to pay Limerick City and County Council’s costs of €1,429.15 and a €10,000 charitable contribution to the Red Cross Ukrainian Appeal.”

The court heard the maximum fine for breaching the legislation before a District Court is €5,000.

Speaking after the case, a Council spokesperson said: “We welcome the decision of the court. By bringing this case, it shows Limerick City and County Council’s commitment to investigate all incidents that occur and to bring those to court if the evidence allows.”