Jamie Oliver's Italian group fined £6,000 for not recycling packaging
Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain Jamie's Italian has been fined almost £6,000 for breaching its packaging recycling threshold.
The penalty, which dates back to 2011, came about after the group had reportedly not recycled its packaging waste for two years, said the Environmental Agency.
It was asked to pay the £5,904 sum as a donation to environmental charity the Young People's Trust for the Environment, according to the Daily Mail.
"Civil sanctions such as these are a proportionate and cost-effective way for businesses to make amends for less serious environmental offences," said a spokesperson for the Environment Agency.
"Jamie's Italian Ltd was not complying with packaging waste regulations, however the company has since changed the way it operates and volunteered a financial contribution of £5,904 to the Young People's Trust for the Environment."
The group has now registered with industry scheme Valpak, under the advice of the Environment Agency, to help it avoid future penalties.
A spokesperson for the Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, told Caterer and Hotelkeeper that the fine relates to a period of substantial growth for the business.
"We voluntarily contacted the Environment Agency after becoming aware that it was likely we had reached the threshold concerning the recycling of packaging.
"With their guidance, we made some necessary changes and implemented a new data collection process for waste packaging materials which has now been in place for the past three years."
The fine comes almost a month after news emerged that the TV chef's butchery at his London restaurant Barbecoa was temporarily closed due to unsatisfactory hygiene conditions. Inspectors found out-of-date meat, unclean equipment, poor lighting and washing facilities, and mouse droppings, in the St Paul's site. The site closed voluntarily for 24 hours in January, in order to address the findings.
Jamie's Italian first opened in Oxford in 2008, and now has over 35 restaurants around the UK, including sites in Westfield Stratford, the Bluewater shopping centre, and Gatwick Airport.
Jamie Oliver butcher temporarily closed after hygiene inspection >>