A firm making food flavourings has been fined £20,000 for flouting waste recycling laws, following a routine visit by Environment Agency inspectors. Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, the current version of which is SI 2007/871, firms turning over £2 million and handling 50 tonnes of packaging a year must obey strict rules.
Frutarom (UK), who are based in Kettering, admitted to failing to register with the Agency or pay the required sum to cover their activities. Agency inspectors discovered the company had not been registered for at least two years.
Prosecutor Anne-Lise McDonald told Kettering Magistrates Court that the aim of the regulations is to make sure businesses take responsibility for the packaging used in their operations. This in turn reduced the amount of packaging produced and the amount ending up in landfill. Businesses are not obliged to physically recover and recycle the packaging themselves, there are other companies which are paid to carry this out on their behalf. It was estimated that Frutarom had avoided paying £14,525 in such costs over the years 2003 to 2006.
After the hearing, Environment Agency officer Charles Phillipps said, "Packaging waste regulations ensure businesses take responsibility for packaging used on their products by contributing towards their recycling and recovery and minimising their environmental impact. Although these provisions have been in force since 1997, some companies still ignore or remain unaware of their responsibilities. We actively seek to find and prosecute such companies, as we have done in this case."
