Racking firm fined for failing Packaging Waste duties
March 23rd 2009 Rapid Racking was this month ordered to pay £25,053 at Cheltenham Magistrates Court after failing to comply with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.
The company pleaded guilty to failing to register with the Environment Agency, and to meet its requirements to recover and recycle packaging waste between 2004 and 2006 and it asked the court to take into consideration 13 similar offences between 1997 and 2003.
It was estimated that the company had avoided costs of approximately £17,484 by not registering and purchasing the correct amount of Packaging Recovery Notes.
The company was fined £15,000, compensation of £8,354 and the Government’s surcharge of £15. The magistrates also ordered the company to pay £1,684 in costs to the Environment Agency. A total of £25,053.
Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, companies who have an annual turnover in excess of £2 million and handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per annum must register with the Environment Agency or a compliance scheme. Each year, the company must also provide evidence of payment for recovery and recycling of a specified proportion of their packaging. The types of packaging covered by this legislation are wood, aluminium, steel, cardboard and plastic.
The Environment Agency says there are still a significant number of companies that are not compliant with the regulations. More articles from Environment Agency: | 
