Environment agency fines cosmetics player over recycling

Environmental issues are coming to the fore these days alongside an increasing awareness of the impact of global warning. All of this means that the pressure to minimise carbon footprints and promote greener ways is starting to impact the way business and industries are run. In line with this Surrey-based Neville and More have been made to pay nearly £8,000 (€11,821) in penalties and court costs after failing to comply with recycling regulations that are set down and enforced by the agency stating that company's should recycle a portion of their waste. The company, which also distributes pharmaceutical products, was taken to court by the Environment Agency as part of efforts to ensure that all companies throughout the UK comply with regulations in an effort to increase country-wide recycling rates. According to a report in local newspaper The Argus, the company was found guilty of 12 offences that were recorded over the past four years. Environment Agency officer Vanessa Bird told the newspaper: "These regulations are in place to ensure that, year on year, less packaging goes into landfill sites by encouraging the recovery and recycling of packaging. Our landfill capacity in the south is being stretched to the limit so this is becoming increasingly important. ​ "The amount of packaging that companies are recycling has increased but some companies are still ignoring their environmental responsibilities. We urge businesses to act now and check their recycling obligations. By not doing so they are putting the environment under pressure and are risking hefty fines." ​ The fine comes in addition to a number of other legal proceedings for cosmetics players that have been instigated by the Environment Agency. They include a £3,700 penalty for Lush Cosmetics back in January 2006 for missing a registration date and a £3,000 fine for cosmetics supplier Eros Laboratories. The UK currently has one of the worst recycling rates in Europe, with statistic published last year showing that only Greece and Portugal lagged behind its track record.