Kennelpak Ltd from Nottingham has paid over £75,000 to the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association, for failing to meet its packaging and recycling obligations as a producer.
The company is a manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of pet food and related pet products and was unaware it was handling over 50 tonnes of packaging waste and had a turnover of over £2 million, which is the threshold for obligations under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations SI 2007/871. The negligence period lasted for 15 years, from 2001 to 2016.
The financial contribution to the charities is part of an enforcement undertaking offered to the Environment Agency for the company's failure to register with the Agency, recycle and recover a proportion of their waste by purchasing Packaging Recovery Notes.
The Environment Officer at the Environment Agency, Joanne Weston said "Enforcement Undertakings allow packaging waste producers to come into compliance and contribute towards environmental projects and improvements using the money they have saved".
"The Environment Agency is increasingly using this method of enforcement for cases of less serious offending to restore or enhance the environment, improve practices of the offending business and ensure future compliance with environmental requirements. However, we will continue to pursue prosecution for the most serious cases".
