It was discovered by the agency that the family-owned business, The Orange Square Company, did not document its packaging waste over a four-year period.
The EA also found that the company didn’t pay any fees relating to the packaging waste it produced.
According to EA regulations, companies with a turnover above £2 million, handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging in the previous calendar year, must register with an accredited compliance scheme, and recover and recycle packaging waste.
The Environment Agency said The Orange Square Company missed more than £7,000 in payments to the scheme between 2017 and 2020.
Failure
The Environment Agency dealt with the company’s failure to comply with the law through a civil sanction called an enforcement undertaking, instead of a prosecution. To qualify, offenders must improve practices to avoid similar breaches, while making a financial contribution to a relevant environmental project.
Tessa Bowering, a senior technical officer for the Environment Agency and who investigated The Orange Square Company, said: “Enforcement undertakings ensure that those who commit offences stop offending, come into compliance, and take steps to prevent a recurrence.
“Offenders should be prepared to take responsibility for their actions and put things right, resulting in a direct benefit to the environment and local communities.”
Improvements
The money will go towards improving Chobham Common wildlife through expanded habitats, as well as installing fire breaks to improve the common’s resilience to wildfires, which have decimated land in recent years.
The Orange Square Company also paid the Environment Agency’s costs of £2,780.94 for investigating the case, which came under the Producer Responsibility Obligations Regulations 2007.
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