Businesses that failed to comply with laws designed to encourage the recycling of waste packaging paid a total of 1,019,566 to charities to avoid legal action from the Environment Agency in the six months to February 2014.
Figures published yesterday (March 31) by the Agency show that a total of 20 businesses had failed to register with a compliance scheme as required under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.
The fees include a record payment from an individual firm for failure to comply with the Producer Responsibility Obligations with organic baby food producer HiPP Uk Limited paying a total of 414,960 to the Woodland Trust, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
The largest ever payment previously accepted by the Agency for failing to meet obligations under the regulations stood at around 60,000.
According to the Agency, since making the payments HiPP UK has also received legal advice to ensure future compliance, registered with compliance scheme Comply Direct and improved its internal reporting systems to prevent further breaches of the law.
Costs
By not being registered under the regulations, the businesses will have saved money by not having to buy PRNs packaging waste recovery notes.
However, this can often be the case if businesses are unaware of the rules particularly if they grow above the 50 tonnes per year threshold for eligibility under the regulations.
Rather than facing the possibility of a court appearance and a potential fine, the firms took up an option given to them by the Environment Agency of donating money to charity.
Compliance
The offers are known as Enforcement Undertakings, described as an offer formally accepted by the regulator, to take steps that would make amends for non-compliance and its effects.
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The figures published by the Agency cover the six months from August 2013 to the end of January 2014 and detail enforcement undertakings accepted by the Agency for breaches of various pieces of legislation.
Broadlands Wineries Ltd was also found to have not met its obligations under the packaging regulations, and paid a total of 156,548 to the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the Conservation Volunteers as a result.
Elsewhere the details show that plastic bottle recycler ECO Plastics paid a total of 10,000 for breaching the Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations, while Viridor Waste Management paid 10,000 to the Westcounty Rivers Trust for breaching the Salmon & Freshwater Fisheries Act.
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