The majority of packaging waste offenders caught by the Environment Agency are from the wholesale and retail trades, according to a new report.
Last year 11 packaging waste offenders were faced with a £10 000 fine, with around 40 other companies being fined smaller amounts.
'Spotlight on business environmental performance 2002' reveals that over half of infringement of the packaging waste regulations is carried out by suppliers or retailers, with no packaging companies being listed under the packaging waste section of prosecutions.
Chris Grove of the Environment Agency said: "Packaging manufacturers and converters are not 100% compliant, but they are very aware of the packaging waste obligations because they know we know that they are handling packaging. The difficulty with wholesalers and retailers lies in determining the amount of packaging that they are handling."
The report is available from the Environment Agency: www.environment-agency.gov.uk.
