Charity sanction pays for mass tree-planting in east London
A computer support company in Brentford that broke recycling law has paid money to charity to help fund several thousand new trees on the other side of London, at Ilford.
EMC Computer Systems (UK) Ltd failed to register the packaging waste it produced between 2002 and 2003 and from 2008 to 2015.
Companies with a turnover above £2 million, handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging in the previous calendar year, must register with an accredited compliance scheme, and recover and recycle packaging waste.
EMC, based in Great West Road, will pay £8,759.31 to Trees for Cities, which works across the UK and overseas to improve lives by planting trees in cities.
The Environment Agency dealt with EMC’s failure to comply with the law through a civil sanction called an enforcement undertaking, instead of a prosecution. To qualify, offenders must improve practices to avoid similar breaches, while making a financial contribution to a relevant project.
Nikki Collins, a senior waste operations officer for the Environment Agency, said:
While agreeing to enforcement undertakings, the Environment Agency continues to prosecute organisations and individuals where evidence shows high levels of culpability and serious environmental harm.
Rory Field, corporate partnerships director for Trees for Cities, said:
The company paid the Environment Agency’s costs.