A Bury-based business has been ordered to pay more than £9,000 to a charity after breaching environmental regulations.

Maker Industrial Products Limited, situated on Wellington Street in
Bury, failed to comply with registration requirements from 2017 to 2019, according to the Environment Agency.

Businesses which introduce significant quantities of packaging into the UK market must register and contribute to the recycling and recovery of packaging waste.

The firm, like three others which operate in the North West and were found to have committed environmental offences, submitted "enforcement undertakings" to the Environment Agency, which have now been accepted.

Enforcement undertakings are voluntary offers by companies or individuals to make amends for offending and usually include a payment to a charity to carry out environmental improvements in the area.

As part of an "enforcement undertaking", Maker Industrial has been told by the Environment Agency to hand over £9,530.31 to the Ribble Catchment Conservation Trust.

An enforcement undertaking is a voluntary agreement where an individual or organisation "commits to corrective actions to address less serious regulatory breaches".

Cleansing Service Group Limited will pay £25,000 to The Kindling Trust, Amic Haulage Limited will donate £2,500 to the Mersey Rivers Trust, and JYSK Limited will provide £31,757.62 to Keep Britain Tidy.

Cleansing Service Group Limited breached its environmental permit at the Lanstar Cadishead site in December 2020.

This involved opening an "unidentified package" resulting in a "minor explosion", and highlighted the company’s inadequate measures to mitigate the risk of pollution.

Amic Haulage Limited's breach took place in November 2020, when milk was discharged into a tributary of the River Wheelock in Crewe, resulting in pollution of the watercourse.

JYSK Limited was found guilty of non-compliance with packaging waste regulations between 2010 and 2020.

Nigel Glasgow, area environment manager at the Environment Agency, said: "All businesses have a duty to ensure that their operations do not pose a risk of harm to people and the environment.

"When companies fail to meet their environmental obligations, it is a serious issue, and we will take appropriate action.

"Enforcement undertakings are carefully considered by the Environment Agency and secure improvements in the way a business operates, including how they respond to environmental incidents.

"They provide an opportunity for companies that have failed to comply with legal requirements or that have caused pollution to proactively remedy the harm done, as well as to prevent future incidents.

"We strongly encourage all companies to review their responsibilities and ensure they are legally compliant by visiting gov.uk."