Such producer responsibility obligations are designed to reduce the amount of packaging material that goes to waste, but according to David Bradley, who was prosecuting on behalf of the Environment Agency: “The Stationary Box, which had an annual turnover in 2001 of 36million, saved up to 7,600 by ignoring regulations between 1998 and 2001.”
Mr Bradley told the court the company “was aware of its obligations. It had been warned by the Environment Agency as far back as October 1998”.
Magistrates heard that Stationary Box, which handled 242 tonnes of packaging waste during 2002, failed to register with the Environment Agency between 1997 and 2001 and in addition, had failed to make arrangements for the mandatory recovery or recycling of any packaging waste.
The branch of Stationary Box Limited based in Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside was fined by Magistrates based in near-by St Helens under the Producer Responsibility Obligations Regulations. The company was fined nine times for each packaging-related offence, totalling a figure of 36,000. In addition, Stationary Box was charged 1000 in costs, payable to the Environment Agency which brought the prosecution.
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