The company pleaded guilty at Bolton Magistrates' Court to eight offences under the Producer Responsibility Regulations of 1997, which implement an EU Directive on the recovery and recycling of packaging waste.
Under the Regulations, companies with a sufficient turnover that handle significant amounts of packaging must register with the Environmental Agency. They are also required to either arrange themselves to have certain amounts of packaging waste recycled and recovered each year, or join a registered recycling scheme.
The Environmental Agency, which brought the prosecution, claimed that Dabs.com, which has an annual turnover exceeding £100 million, saved up to £4,328 by not complying with the Regulations between 1997 and 2000.
The Agency said it became aware of the company's failures during routine checks on businesses suspected of being subject to the Regulations but not known to have registered.
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 can be found at:
www.hmso.gov.uk/si/si1997/1970648.htm