Scotbeef Ltd was fined 1,200 at Hamilton Sheriff Court for ignoring regulations designed to make those placing any form of packaging on the market responsible for paying for their share of meeting European recycling targets.
” The reason for these regulations is clear – they ensure funds are in place to cover the costs of recycling packaging waste. “
– Patrick McKell, SEPA
Green watchdog SEPA is now warning other companies that do not register their obligations under the 1997 Producer Responsibility Regulations that they could also end up in court.
Under the regulations, companies in Scotland with a turnover above 2 million a year that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year are supposed to register with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. English companies – similarly affected by the regulations – must register with the Environment Agency.
Obligated companies must then pay for their share of recycling and recovery by purchasing packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) or joining compliance schemes to do so on their behalf.
Guilty
Scotbeef pleaded guilty to three charges under the producer responsibility regulations, related to activities between 8 April 2000 and 7 April 2003.
Patrick McKell, SEPA environment protection officer said: “Businesses must recover and recycle an amount of discarded packaging based on the volume and type of packaging handled by them. To do this, companies must ensure that they are registered with either SEPA or a compliance scheme.”
“Scotbeef Limited failed to do this and ended up in court. The reason for these regulations is clear – they ensure funds are in place to cover the costs of recycling packaging waste and they place responsibility for the packaging handled onto the individual company.”
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Scotbeef is not the first Scottish company to be prosecuted under the packaging producer responsibility regulations – Walter Black (Gold Star) Ltd of Cambuslang was prosecuted in 2003 for failing to pay for enough packaging recovery to meet the company's obligation (see letsrecycle.com story).
SEPA said it is actively seeking out companies that have failed to register.
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