Company 'could be fined' for polluting bay

A recycling company operating in California may be fined after debris from its plant was allowed to trail into a nearby bay, reports state.

California Waste Solutions, a firm that deal with recycling procedures in the San Jose area, may be fined almost half a million dollars by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In breach of the Clean Water Act, metal, oil and litter from the company's base has been blocking local drains and waterways, the EPA has claimed.

It also said that storms and winds over the last five years have blown debris from three of the company’s plants into a tributary which is home to a threatened species of fish.

California Waste responded to the claims, saying it has since employed new staff and re-trained its current workforce in order to put new procedures and standards in place.

In related developments, glass bottle manufacturers Saint-Gobain Containers was fined $139,534 this week after its Californian plant was found to be in breach of emissions regulations.