HUGE STACK OF MATTRESSES LEFT AT BEAUTY SPOT:
...BUT RECYCLING FIRM SAYS IT HAS PERMISSION
AN investigation is under way after hundreds of tons of old carpets and mattresses were left at a Snowdonia beauty spot.
Shocked villagers demanded a clean up of the “mess” at Llanelltyd, near Dolgellau, which is inside the Snowdonia National Park.
One resident said: “There are dozens of carpets and mattresses on the site and it’s clearly an organised dump because there’s no way these came from around here.
“It’s a mess and someone will have to clear it up, no doubt at public expense.”
Natural Resources Wales said it was investigating the site near the Hengwrt Boarding Kennels and Cattery, just off the A470.
But yesterday a recycling firm came forward and said it was behind the mountain of waste and claimed Natural Resources Wales allowed it to put them there.
South Wales-based Servmax Limited said that the 456 tons of old carpets and mattresses were legitimately stored at the site.
The company said it was issued a three-year waste exemption by Natural Resources Wales on August 21 – meaning it is exempt from needing an environmental permit to store waste at the site.
The exemption allows the company to store waste in a secure place, and store waste in secured containers before it is moved on to be recycled.
However it is only valid as long as the activities are “carried out without endangering human health” and without harming the environment, including causing “risk to water, air, soil, plants or animals, or adversely affecting the countryside or places of special interest.”
Servmax, whuch claims it is legally allowed to store up to 1,000 tons of materials at the site for up to a year, said that its activities were “a long way from fly tipping” and were above board.
It added none of the waste was hazardous, toxic or harmful to the environment.
But Natural Resources Wales said they were in the process of checking if “all necessary permissions are in place”.
Euros Jones, operations manager for Natural Resources Wales, said: “Following reports of a large amount of waste material being stored on land near Llanelltyd, our officers have visited the site to check if all necessary permissions are in place for the activity. As our investigation continues, if anyone has any further information about this incident, please get in touch with us by calling 03000 65 3000.”
As well as shipping some of the materials to Turkey where it is used as energy, waste collected by Servmax is also turned into materials to be used for cement work and in horse menages.
Our sister paper The Daily Post understands Servmax is now also in the process of applying for a full permit to use the land in Dolgellau permanently.