A pair of waste-processing companies in Delta have been ordered by a B.C. court to pay $110,000 in fines.

A provincial court ordered Basran Industries Ltd. and Basran Fuels Ltd. to jointly pay the fines after the companies pleaded guilty to two offences relating to operating a waste-processing facility without a licence.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District says the companies’ employees were seen receiving and managing solid waste without the proper licence between October 2019 and October 2023.

“Metro Vancouver communicated with Basran facility multiple times and informed them they needed a licence to continue operating, before finally resorting to prosecution under the Municipal Solid Waste and Recyclable Material Regulatory Bylaw,” the district said.

There are reportedly 39 licensed private waste facilities in the region that the district says helps it meet its waste reduction and recycling goals.

Metro Vancouver says bylaw enforcement and licence requirements protect communities and “ensure a level playing field for environmentally responsible businesses.”

—With files from Amy Beeman and Sonia Aslam