TWO Solihull companies have made payments to a garden charity after failing to recycle properly.
G&Z Trading Ltd and Unielectronics Ltd donated £6,060 between them to The Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Alan King Alpine Garden project.
The payments are part of an Enforcement Undertaking offered by each of the companies for its failure to register as a packaging producer and take steps to recover and recycle its packaging waste under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.
The Birmingham Botanical Garden’s Alan King Alpine Garden conserves, showcases and makes accessible the National Cyclamen Collection of species and other alpine, montane, sub-montane and Mediterranean flora.
Jake Richardson, senior technical officer for the Environment Agency, said: “Enforcement Undertakings enable businesses to address historical non-compliance under the Packaging Regulations, through a series of actions that ensure future compliance and a financial contribution to a suitable environmental project.
“Any company handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year, and with a turnover of above £2 million, must register with the Environment Agency or a packaging compliance scheme, and meet their responsibilities for recycling waste packaging.
“If a company fails to meet their obligations under environmental law, we will take action to ensure they change their ways.”
Elizabeth Frostick, development director, Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society said: “As a charity we receive no regular public funds and are hugely grateful for support from the Environment Agency and charitable donations that help us preserve Birmingham’s unique heritage site and Gardens for future generations.
“The Alan King Alpine Project has involved the building of two climate-controlled secure and accessible glasshouses and creation of a rocky alpine environment providing a unique opportunity to learn about endangered habitats under threat and importance of the conservation of plants.”
