Aesthetic’s Warehouse Raided Again
January 15th, 2009South Africa. The Green Scorpions have again hit the Butterworth warehouses belonging to a medical waste disposal company. It is alleged that medical waste was again found that is stored illegally.
The director of enforcement, Frances Craigie of the Green Scorpions, as the Environmental Management Inspectorate have been dubbed, confirmed that Aesthetic Waste Services in Ibika, outside Butterworth, did not have a section 20 permit in terms of the Environmental Conservation Act to store medical waste.
Last year, the Green Scorpions found body parts and other medical waste in Aesthetic’s warehouses.
The gruesome discovery was made during an operation by officials of the national and provincial inspectorate – backed by members of the Butterworth police.
Craigie said that one of her department’s provincial inspectors, accompanied by a police officer, visited the warehouses and found about 10 tons of medical waste.
Prior to their visit two trucks of the Durban-based Compass Waste Services company, which has a disposal plant in Berlin, removed some of the waste. The Aesthetic team was accompanied by two Health Department officials.
During the past months Compass has been subcontracted by Aesthetic to collect medical waste on its behalf. However, this arrangement was stopped by Compass on December 24 after Aesthetic fell in arrears with its payments .
Compass’ latest involvement followed a request by the Health Department and an undertaking that it would foot the bill after it became apparent that Aesthetic had failed to remove the medical waste in its warehouses.
Craigie said the first criminal investigation against Aesthetic has been completed and was now with the National Prosecuting Authority for a decision.
"We will now lay another charge against Aesthetic," she added.
Source: Daily Dispatch Online
By: Eddie Botha
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