Preston-based company pays over £18,000 to Woodlands Trust for regulation failures

The business is based on Freckleton Road

Lancashire company Flextex Ltd has paid over £18,500 to the Woodland Trust after they failed to register with the Environment Agency for dealing with producing, using or selling of packaged goods from 2009-2018.

Flextex Ltd also failed to take reasonable steps to recover and recycle their packaging waste causing potential risks to the environment. Both failures, of which, were not in accordance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.

The Flextex Ltd site at Preston are a polythene convertor and supplier, supplying bags, sheets, covers and liners to the trade. This means they must register with the Environment Agency when handling over 50 tonnes of packaging materials in any given year paired with having a turnover of more than £2 million a year (based on the last financial year’s accounts).

Environment Agency costs of £1,406.65 were covered by Flextex Ltd and the company took action to prevent further non-compliance.

John Neville, Lancashire Environment Manager for the Environment Agency, said: “Enforcement Undertakings (EUs) enable firms and individuals who have damaged the environment or operated outside of legislative requirements to offer to complete actions which will address the cause and effect of their offending, including making a payment to an appropriate environmental project.

“Flextex Ltd took responsibility for their actions and volunteered to make things right following their failures under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.

“The Enforcement Undertaking has enabled a local charity to progress a number of projects which will deliver significant benefits for the local environment.

“We would encourage all companies to check their responsibilities and ensure they are legally complaint by visiting GOV.UK’s packaging waste: producer responsibilities page.

“All environmental incidents should be reported to the Environment Agency’s 24 hour incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.”

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