SEPA withdraws license of battery recycling center after major fire

The Scottish Environment Agency has suspended Fenix ​​Battery Recycling’s waste management licence following a major fire at the company’s battery recycling site in Kilwinning in April.

As part of a strengthened package of measures by the regulator, the company is not allowed to accept, store or treat waste.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has served two enforcement notices on Fenix ​​​​Battery Recycling, requiring the company to remove waste batteries that have been on the site at West Byrehill Industrial Estate for more than six months.

The Agency has also suspended the Authorised Battery Treatment Organisation (ABTO) accreditation.

The only activities the Company can currently carry out under the SEPA regime at the Kilwinning site is the removal of waste to appropriately licensed landfill sites.

SEPA said it took these measures after finding that the company was not complying with its licence conditions and that the site’s infrastructure had been destroyed by the fire in April.

The agency said continuing the approved activities at the site in its current state could lead to “serious pollution” of the environment and “serious harm” to human health.

The decision to suspend a driving license is never taken lightly.

Commenting on the enforcement action, Lin Bunten, Chief Operating Officer for Regulatory, Economic and Environmental Affairs at SEPA, said: “The decision to suspend a licence is never taken lightly, but it is one of the enforcement tools at our disposal and one we will use if we believe it is necessary to prevent the risk of harm to the environment.”

“The suspension of the Waste Management Licence (WML) will remain in effect until we are satisfied that the conditions set out in the suspension notice have been met – including site infrastructure requirements, a fire protection and fire mitigation plan and a fire alarm system.”

The enforcement notices served by SEPA require the company to transport all unprocessed waste – mainly used batteries that have been stored on site for more than six months – to an approved facility by 4 June 2024.

All treated and unprocessed waste stored on-site within the footprint of the fire-damaged building for more than six months must also be removed by July 13, 2024.

In addition to disposing of waste batteries in accordance with the enforcement notices, the operator must ensure that all fire debris has been removed from the site, all site infrastructure has been replaced or repaired and all site services have been restored.

Fenix ​​​​Battery Recycling is also required to submit a fire protection and mitigation plan to SEPA and implement it in the battery storage areas of the site.

In November 2023, SEPA partially revoked the site’s licence after the company failed to comply with a request to reduce the amount of batteries on site, which are classified as hazardous waste under the Hazardous Waste Ordinance 1996, to the permitted tonnage.