Highland quarry company served £32,100 penalty for unauthorised waste disposal
Date published: 07 October 2026
A Highland company has been served with a monetary penalty of more than £32,000 after a Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) investigation found a former pond had been progressively filled with waste without any environmental authorisation in place.
Pat Munro (Alness) Limited has been issued with a £32,100.81 Variable Monetary Penalty (VMP) in relation to the disposal of controlled waste at Caplich Quarry, Alness between April 2018 and February 2024.
Satellite imagery examined by SEPA showed significant changes to the area over that period. In April 2018, much of the former quarry area was filled with water. Subsequent images showed the area being progressively infilled until very little water remained.
As part of the investigation, SEPA officers required trial pits to be excavated. Controlled waste was found to have been disposed of up to a depth of three metres, The waste included soil, stone plastic, timber, metal, glass and road planings. No waste management licence was in place authorising the activity.
LiDAR technology was also used to assess the scale of the infilling. SEPA estimated the tonnage deposited above the previous water level to be 20,000 tonnes.
Calum McGregor, Unit Manager of SEPA's Environmental Crime Team, said:
“Controlled waste was used to progressively fill a former pond at this site over almost six years without the environmental authorisation required.
“Businesses that handle waste have a responsibility to understand which authorisations they need and to have them in place before activity starts.
“Our investigation established both the scale of the activity and what had been disposed of at the site. This penalty reflects the seriousness of failing to comply with waste regulations and sends a clear message that SEPA will take action where those requirements are not complied with.
“Scotland’s waste regulations are designed to protect our environment and legitimate businesses. We expect operators to comply with them.”
Variable monetary penalties
Variable Monetary Penalties are discretionary financial penalties which SEPA can impose for relevant environmental offences following an appropriate investigation.
They sit alongside other enforcement tools available to SEPA, including advice and guidance, final warning letters, regulatory notices, Fixed Monetary Penalties and reports to the Procurator Fiscal.
SEPA's enforcement action is designed to secure compliance with environmental requirements, stop offending and environmental harm or reduce the risk of harm, and ensure restoration or remediation where appropriate.
Notes to editor
Very limited images are available from SEPA's media team, though the resolution is not print quality. Please email media@sepa.org.uk to have them sent to you.
SEPA are satisfied on the balance of probabilities that the company committed an offence under Section 33(6) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, by contravening Section 33(1)(b)(i), through knowingly causing or permitting controlled waste to be disposed of on land when no waste management licence was in place authorising the disposal.
The period of the offence was 2 April 2018 to 21 February 2024.
Variable Monetary Penalties cover a range of environmental offences. SEPA determine the amount according to the circumstances of the individual offence and published enforcement guidance. Information on how a VMP is calculated is available on SEPA’s website.
Information on Variable Monetary Penalties imposed is available on SEPA’s website at Penalties imposed and undertakings accepted, along with details of Fixed Monetary Penalties (FMPs) and Enforcement Undertakings accepted.