Environmental Update (January 2010)
Wine company fined for waste packaging offences
One of the UK's largest wine importers was ordered to pay more
than £35,000 in fines and costs for failing to meet all of its
obligations under Waste Packaging Regulations. The Company imports
and sells wine to the public, restaurants, shops and other wine
merchants across the UK.
Under the Packaging Waste Regulations all businesses with an
annual turnover in excess of £2 million and handling more than
50-tonnes of packaging per annum are obliged to register with the
Environment Agency or an approved producer compliance scheme.
The purpose of the regulations is to encourage businesses to
behave responsibly and ensure a percentage of the packaging they
handle is recovered and recycled. This, in turn, helps reduce the
amount of material sent to landfill.
Businesses purchase Packaging Recovery Notes (PRN's) to
demonstrate they are compliant with their recovery and recycling
obligations. PRN's are issued by approved companies who recycle
packaging waste.
In January 2010 the Company was contacted by the Environment
Agency to establish whether it was required to register. With an
annual turnover of £7.7 million in 2007 and handling 637 tonnes of
packaging it was evident the company should have registered.
It is estimated the company avoided more than £22,000 in fees
and costs for the years 2004 - 2008 by failing to comply.
The Company was fined £29,700 and ordered to pay £1,999 costs
after pleading guilty to nine offences under the Producer
Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007
including failing to register and take reasonable steps to recover
and recycle packaging waste and failing to produce certificates of
compliance. The company was also ordered to pay £3,856 in
compensation.
For further information on the Mentor Environmental
Service, please call us on 0800 634 7006.
Please read legal information.