A SWINDON pharmaceutical packaging company has been fined for not recycling.

TD Packaging, of Stephenson Road, Groundwell Industrial Estate, has been fined £8,000.

Representatives from the firm pleaded guilty to six offences at Swindon Magistrates' Court this week following an Environment Agency investigation.

The company had failed to register with the agency for 2002, 2003, and 2004 and also failed to recover and recycle its packaging for those years. As well as the fine, the firm was ordered to pay the EA's costs of £1,546. The court heard how the EA started an investigation after receiving an anonymous tip off.

After making contact with the company, TD Packaging, managers were found not to know about the regulations.

Under the packaging waste regulations introduced in 1997, companies with an annual turnover in excess of £2m and producing more than 50 tonnes of packaging waste per year must be registered with the agency.

An environment officer visited the TD Packaging in January 2005 to clarify the regulations as they applied to the firm.

In sentencing the court fined the company £2,000 for four charges, whilst taking the two others into consideration.

The company has now been registered with the Environment Agency.

No-one from the firm was available for comment.