Pet product firm pays £66k over packaging breach

A pet product seller has made a payment to a local wildlife trust to make amends for failing to comply with packaging waste regulations for 20 years.

Rosewood Pet Products in Hadley, Shropshire, contributed just over £66,000 as part of an enforcement undertaking.

The civil sanction, accepted by the Environment Agency (EA), constituted a voluntary offer which will be used by Shropshire Wildlife Trust to fund school visits.

The company said as soon as it became aware of its non-compliance, it notified the EA.

Jake Richardson from the EA said: "Enforcement undertakings are an effective enforcement tool to allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements."

He added taking action against those that damaged the environment was a priority.

The payment followed an EA investigation which found the company should have funded the recycling of the waste it created from 1999, but did not register to do so until 2020.

Investigators estimated the firm avoided fees and charges of £60,135.97, to which a 10% penalty element was added, totalling £66,149.57.

Companies are "obligated" packaging producers if they have handled more than 50 tonnes of packaging materials in the previous calendar year and have a turnover of more than £2m, the EA said.

It added the company's last filed accounts showed a turnover in excess of £37m, but confirmed the company had been registered and compliant with regulations since 2020.

Shropshire Wildlife Trust said it would use the payment to fully fund 27 trips for Telford schoolchildren to Wood Lane Nature Reserve and also stage weekend workshops for local youngsters.

Education and Learning Manager Ellie Larkham said schools often struggled to find the cash but were reluctant to make parents pay.

"We want to ensure that this funding has a legacy, so it is really exciting to have the opportunity to work with a group of the most engaged schools to embed outdoor learning in their curriculum," she added.

Rosewood Pet Products said it had put steps in place to make sure it complied with all environmental legislation in the future.

It added that its decision to donate to Shropshire Wildlife Trust was because it was local, and because the project would help wildlife and the continuing education of local children.

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