Carluccio’s face £21,000 bill over packaging rules breach

Restaurant group Carluccio’s has been billed more than £21,000 by the Environment Agency for breaching packaging waste regulations.

The total bill, includes a fine of £15,000, compensation to the Environment Agency of £4,159 and payment of the agency’s costs of £2,400.

The group – which opened its latest site, in Earlsfield, south-west London, earlier this month - was found to be in breach of packaging rules after a routine inspection by the agency in November 2006.

Under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations, companies who have an annual turnover in excess of £2m, such as Carluccio’s, and handle more than 50 tonnes of packaging a year must register with the Environment Agency or a compliance scheme.

Carluccio’s pleaded guilty this week (22 October) to failing to do so between 2004 and 2006, as well as similar offences in 2002 and 2003.

The regulations are designed to make companies assess the amount of packaging they handle and, where possible, limit its use. For the packaging remaining, companies are expected to purchase evidence of recovery and recycling.

The money raised is invested in the recycling industry. Carluccio’s registered with the Paperpak compliance scheme on 12 February 2007.

• In better news for the company, Carluccio’s has been named most charitable restaurant group by Action Against Hunger. Since signing up to the charity’s Restaurants Against Hunger campaign in 2007, Carluccio’s has raised £177,000 for the charity, which works to tackle hunger and malnutrition around the world. 

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By Chris Druce 

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