| 15/11/2005
- The Environment Agency is renewing its warning to Kent
businesses that they are risking hefty fines by failing
to recover and recycle packaging waste. The reminder comes
after the successful prosecution of Panini UK Limited, based
in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Panini
UK Limited was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay costs
of £206.75 by Sevenoaks Magistrates Court on Monday
14 November 2005. The company pleaded guilty to three
offences and had another 15 offences taken into consideration.
In the last two months, the Environment
Agency has prosecuted three further businesses in Kent.
With fines amounting to £50,000, these prosecutions
have highlighted the need for companies to ensure they
are complying with their recycling obligations. One holding
company based in Kent with several subsidiary companies
received a fine of £40,000 last month. The fine
was for 9 offences spanning 3 years.
Under the Producer Responsibility
(Packaging Waste) Regulations, companies with an annual
turnover of over £2million and handling more than
50 tonnes of packaging each year must register with the
Environment Agency or join a registered compliance scheme
providing details of how much packaging they handle. Companies
must recover and recycle a certain amount of packaging
waste and provide evidence that this recovery and recycling
has been undertaken. A company failing to comply with
the Producer Responsibility (Packaging Waste) Regulations
could face fines of up to £5,000 per offence.
Environment Agency Officer David Brodie,
said: "These regulations are in place to help reduce
the amount of packaging that goes into landfill sites.
Landfill capacity in the South East is already stretched
to the limit so it’s vital that businesses comply with
them.
"The amount of recycled packaging
has increased but these prosecutions have shown that some
companies are still choosing to ignore their environmental
responsibilities. The hefty fines these companies received
show that the Magistrates' take these offences seriously
– we urge Kent businesses to act now and check their obligations."
Information and advice on good environmental
practice for smaller businesses is available at www.netregs.gov.uk,
a web site set up by the UK’s environmental regulators,
or by calling Environment Agency on 08708 506 506. |
