WIREDGOV

A Huddersfield based home furnishings company has offered to pay £17,000 to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust after failing to comply with packaging waste regulations.

Interior Goods Direct Limited of Colne Bridge Road, Huddersfield, submitted an Enforcement Undertaking to the Environment Agency, after it failed to meet its environmental obligations by avoiding the costs of not registering and meeting their obligation under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.

An Enforcement Undertaking is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals to make amends for their offending.

Environment Agency officers conducted an investigation into potential offences committed by Interior Goods Direct Limited under the Packaging Waste Regulations.

These regulations aim to reduce over-packaging, reduce the amount of packaging waste going to landfill, and increase the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.

The investigation confirmed that the company should have begun registering in 2010 but did not register until 2021. The company has registered in every subsequent registration year since.

The Environment Agency estimated that Interior Goods Direct Limited avoided costs for not registering and meeting their obligation for those registration years, totalling £15,679.87. The company recognised the importance of the issue and decided to offer a total donation amount of £17,000.

Ben Hocking, Area Environment Manager for West Yorkshire at the Environment Agency, said:

It is vital that companies are aware of their environmental obligations. In this case Interior Goods Direct Limited recognised that they had failed to comply with packaging waste regulations and we deemed it appropriate to accept an Enforcement Undertaking offer, which ensured that all avoided recycling costs were donated to a project that will enhance, restore and protect England’s natural environment.

In some circumstances, Enforcement Undertakings can achieve a good resolution of our enforcement action, allowing the offender to put things right and help to improve our environment. This payment of £17,000 will do just that by supporting a marine project at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for better protection of Yorkshire’s marine environment.

The offer from Interior Goods Direct Limited outlined that it will revise its internal compliance policies and procedures and record keeping and register with a compliance scheme. This will help to avoid the risk of environmental offending in the future.