Food supplier fined 7.5k for waste-regulation breach

The fine comes days after Packaging News reported Suffolk-based Hatcher Components and Broadwater Mouldings were each fined £3,684 for failing to join a recycling scheme during 2008 and 2009.

The Environment Agency said that Terbeke had registered in previous years but “due to reporting requirements being misunderstood believed it did not need to register for 2008.

Investigating officer Carol Getting said: “It is disappointing that although the regulations have been in force for more than a decade, the requirements are still widely misunderstood.”

Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, firms that handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year and have a turnover that exceeds £2m are required to register with the Environment Agency of packaging compliance scheme.

According to the Environment Agency, a routine investigation at Terbeke found that it had “incorrectly calculated the tonnage of packaging handled as being below the registration threshold of 50 tonnes when in fact it had handled more than 500 tonnes”.

Company secretary Dirk De Backer confirmed to Packaging News that the non-conpliance was down to an administrative error.

“In the past, we’ve always complied fully [with the regulations] and will continue to do so,” he said.

Terbeke imports and sells products packaged in a range of materials, including cardboard, plastic and metal.

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