Two Saskatchewan logging companies have been fined after pleading guilty to burning industrial waste in two separate cases.
Both Hudson Bay companies admitted to burning waste from their logging operations including used oil filters, plastic product containers, oil, hydraulic hoses and aerosol cans.
“Laws against burning of industrial waste are there to protect both human health and the environment,” said David Cobb, the acting executive director of Saskatchewan’s Forest Service Branch.
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“The public expects government to hold companies accountable when they break the rules and we take this job very seriously.”
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The violations were identified by Ministry of Environment forestry staff during inspections in the fall of 2015. The companies were charged under The Clean Air Act in October 2015.
Lutz Logging was fined $14,000 and WE Logging was fined $5,600 in Melfort provincial court.
Burning plastics can release cancer-causing substances, including volatile organic compounds, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and dioxins, into the atmosphere.
These materials can travel long distances, contaminating air, land and water.
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