A popular Swansea city centre restaurant has been fined for failing to dispose of waste correctly, and for storing some waste in a shopping trolley behind the restaurant. Bosses at the Castle Quarter site found themselves before Swansea Magistrates Court where they pleaded guilty to three offences of breaching a notice served under the Environmental Protection Act.
All three relate to failures by the company to manage their commercial waste at the rear of the building. Pictures shared by Swansea Council show the waste bins piled high with black bins so the tops of the bins are open. A trolley can also be seen crammed with waste.
During visits to the property since July last year, officers from the council’s waste enforcement team say they observed piles of black bags and cardboard spilling out of the commercial wheelie bins. Las Iguanas paid all fixed penalty notices - each £180 - other than one relating to the use of the shopping trolley to store waste, the council said.
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The recent court proceedings resulted in the company being fined £750 for each offence, along with £334.50 in costs, and £190 surcharge. The total costs the company must pay is £2,774.50.
Cyril Anderson, cabinet member for community for Swansea council, said: “Businesses in our city have a responsibility to manage their waste properly, particularly those that serve food. If they fail to do this and do not provide enough commercial waste bins, then they can end up attracting pests such as rats. This is unacceptable and is unfair on other businesses who are doing the right thing.
“The council works hard to keep the city centre clean, sending in litter crews every day to deal with large amounts of litter and waste. We need businesses to work with us so that the city centre remains a welcoming and safe place for everyone. Hopefully, the latest action and financial penalties awarded against this company sends out a strong message to other businesses to ensure they get it right when managing their commercial waste.”
A spokesperson for Las Iguanas Swansea said: “We want to have a positive impact in the local area and accept that we fell short of the expected standards. We have retrained our team on waste management and increased the number of bin collections at the restaurant, and will continue to monitor the situation to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
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