Environment

Besana UK, an Italian-owned fruit and nut importer, has been fined £14,500 for failing to comply with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations between 1997 and 2006.

The Environment Agency (EA) contacted Besana UK in 2006 and a site visit was carried out at the company's warehouses by EA officers. The company was then invited for a formal interview under caution in August 2006.

Besana UK produced a summary of the packaging it handled, which was below the 50 tonne threshold and therefore it believed that it was not obligated. This information was subsequently revealed to be incorrect.

In 2007, the company registered with Budgetpack, a compliance scheme, who carried out a full audit of the packaging handled.

The data form submitted to the EA showed that the company had handled 440 tonnes of packaging in 2006. In light of this Besana UK was invited for a second formal interview in August 2007.

An estimate showed that the company had avoided costs of £19,725.98 by not registering and purchasing the correct amount of PRNs.

The company, which pleaded guilty to the charges, was also made to pay £8,354 to the EA in compensation for unpaid registration fees, as well as costs of £2,778.

Sue Gebbels, investigating officer for the EA, said: "These regulations were introduced in 1997 and it is disappointing that there are still a number of companies who are not compliant.

"The money raised from compliance with this legislation goes directly to the recycling industry and failure by this company to ensure it meets its responsibilities means that there was less investment in the recycling industry than there should have been."

Besana UK, which mostly handles mainly paper and plastics packaging, declined to comment.

Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, all businesses with an annual turnover in excess of £2m and which handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging per annum must be registered with the EA or a recognised compliance scheme.