St. Catharines, Ontario — A St. Catharines, Ont.-based metal recycling facility has come into the crosshairs of the province’s environmental regulator and is now facing more than $30,000 in penalties, according to a late-April news release.
Glendale Metal Company, a division of Marine Recycling Corporation, is currently contending with a $27,000 fine, in addition to a victim fine surcharge of $6,750, for a violation of Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act.
Inspectors from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks were on-site at a metal recycling plant in Hamilton on Sept. 2, 2021 when they observed antifreeze, engine oil, and hydraulic fluid spilling from two semi-trucks that were being loaded into shredding stockpiles.
Upon review of relevant documents, the inspectors were able to determine that the trucks had come from Glendale Metal Company, but were reported as no longer containing any fluids.
From there, the investigation launched on the part of the Environmental Investigations and Enforcement Branch was able to produce sufficient evidence to convict the company on the grounds of “including false or misleading information in any document, namely an end-of-life vehicle certification, which is required to be created, stored, or submitted.”
The conviction was officially finalized on Jan. 13 in Welland, Ont. court. Marine Recycling Corporation now has 12 months from that date to pay the fine on behalf of Glendale Metal Company.
