Man caught trying to illegally export waste to Ghana

Emmanuel Yaw Tachie was arrested after a shipping container he had hired was inspected at the Port of Felixstowe, in Suffolk.

Tachie, 27, who ran a waste treatment facility on the Bilston Industrial Estate where he repaired disused electrical equipment, had been warned about trying to send waste to the West African nation only months earlier.

But he ignored those warnings, ordering a container which he said was for the shipment of bicycles.

When it was stopped and examined in November 2013, it was found to contain waste electrical equipment.

Tachie, of Mayfield Road, East Park, who pleaded guilty to waste shipment offences at Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court, must also pay a contribution towards £560 court costs.

An Environmental Agency spokesman said: "Illegal exports put people and the environment at risk and undermine legitimate businesses. There is a legitimate export market for working, used electronics. However, it is illegal to export waste for recycling or recovery in developing countries.

"Electrical waste can contain hazardous materials such as lead, phosphorous and ozone-depleting substances and can pose a serious risk to people's health and the environment."