A Telford wine importing business has been handed a major fine for failing to pay for the recovery and recycling of packaging waste. This fine falls under the jurisdiction of the UK producer responsibility laws.
Western Wines Ltd - the firm that created the South African wine brand “Kumala” - was fined £225,000. It was also ordered to pay more than £5,700 in costs and compensation to the Environment Agency by Shewsbury Crown Court.
The seriousness of this offence is demonstrated by the large fine and is the highest fine for any packaging offence.
The fine more than doubled the previous record fine under the packaging regulations.
The company pleaded guilty to nine charges under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations. The Regulations state that any company with a £2 million turnover or larger that uses at least 50 tonnes of packaging each year to sell their products must contribute towards UK recycling.
Western Wines did not register with the Environment Agency under the legislation from 2003 to 2005.
The company avoided paying £2,486 in fees to the Agency by not registering. As a result of not paying for its share of meeting UK recycling targets for those years, the company avoided paying £185,059. It did not purchase packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs) from accredited recyclers.
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