An Ilkeston recycling company has been fined almost £90,000 after admitting to breaching its environmental permit by dumping waste on land outside its authorised site.
Johnsons Aggregates and Recycling Ltd, which operates the Midlands Urban Mine facility on Merlin Way at Quarry Hill Industrial Estate, appeared before Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 7 November 2025.
The company pleaded guilty to one offence of breaching its environmental permit and was fined £40,000, ordered to pay £49,886.75 in costs, and given a victim surcharge of £190.
According to the Environment Agency, the breach took place between March 2021 and June 2022 when waste was spread on land covering around five acres outside the site’s permitted boundary.
The waste – known as incinerator bottom ash – was found on neighbouring land next to the company’s authorised processing area.
An investigation began after officers received complaints about dust, odour, and noise coming from the Ilkeston facility.
“Environmental permits are there to protect people and the environment. When operators fail to comply with their permit, we will not hesitate to take action,”
said an Environment Agency spokesperson.
The company later accepted that it had “made mistakes in dealing with waste” and admitted that it had breached its permit by placing the material on adjoining land.
The Environment Agency instructed Johnsons Aggregates to remove the waste and to operate strictly within its permitted boundary. The company has since worked with the regulator to bring the site back into compliance.
The Quarry Hill facility – branded as The Midlands Urban Mine – processes thousands of tonnes of ash from energy-from-waste plants each year, recovering metals for reuse.
The Environment Agency has since updated the company’s permit (EPR/MP3430AM) with new conditions to tighten air-quality and dust management on site.
Sources
- Environment Agency press release: Derbyshire firm to pay nearly £90,000 for breaking waste permit (gov.uk)
- Environment Agency Public Register: Permit EPR/MP3430AM, Johnsons Aggregates and Recycling Ltd, Merlin Way, Ilkeston