Biffa conviction for illegal waste exports stands

摘要

UK company Biffa has failed in the appeal of its conviction for exporting contaminated recovered paper to China. Last summer, the British waste management company was found guilty of sending waste to China in violation of the UK's Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations (EUWID 14/2020). With the initial ruling upheld, Biffa is still facing fines and court costs of approximately £600,000 (ca. €663,000), but the wider implications of the ruling for exporters of secondary raw materials are considerable. The decision of the Court of Appeal in Biffa Waste Services ⅴ R [2020] EWCA Crim 827 sharply restricts the kind of evidence that exporters may present to juries on the nature of the material they are attempting to sell abroad.