Company fined over recycling failures

A Lincolnshire-based company has been fined £19,800 and ordered to pay court costs of £2,388 after failing to comply with recycling regulations.

The company in question, Freshtime UK, supplies salads and vegetables to several major supermarkets and was taken to court following a routine audit by the Environment Agency.

Businesses with an annual turnover of £2 million or those who handle over 50 tonnes of recycling each year are required to join a recycling scheme or register with the government.

Commenting on the case, Environment Agency officer Helen Kirchen said: "The money raised from compliance with this legislation goes directly into the recycling industry which means that more packaging waste can be recycled rather than ending up in landfill sites."

The case demonstrates how committed the organisation is to seeking and prosecuting those who fail to comply with regulations, she added.

In related news, a Norfolk-based company has been fined for failing to register with the Environment Agency's Packaging Waste Recycling Scheme.

Written by Claire Manning