Lee Reynolds, a man who was fined £1,000 for fly-tipping after leaving cardboard next to a recycling bin, has vowed to fight on even after the penalty was reduced.
Reynolds left the box on the floor at Tesco in New Milton, Hampshire, on May 31, as all four recycling bins were overflowing with rubbish. On June 3, he received a penalty notice for 'illegally depositing waste' from New Forest District Council (NFDC), which he said left him feeling 'physically sick'.
Appeal and reduction
Reynolds appealed the notice, arguing that the sign warning against leaving waste was obscured by the large volume of rubbish. NFDC then reclassified the offence from fly-tipping to a 'failure to control household waste' offence, reducing the fine to £300, or £150 if paid by July 3.
Reynolds paid the reduced fine but remains dissatisfied. 'I tried several routes of appeal, and basically NFDC did not accept my argument that the signs were obscured,' he said. 'With the deadline looming I felt I had no choice but to pay the £150, so reluctantly that's what I did.'
Ongoing complaint
Reynolds said he is not backing down and has taken the matter to the district council's complaints process. If unsuccessful, he plans to lodge a complaint with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
'The level of waste piled up is a fire hazard. There is just rubbish everywhere and the whole area is a mess. It seems extremely unfair that the council fails to keep the area tidy and I'm the one that ends up with a fine,' he said.
'The bins were full to overflowing and there was no available capacity for additional cardboard. I did not see any instructions or signage warning against leaving recycling adjacent to full containers; if signage exists, it was not visible due to the volume of waste already present.'
Council response
A spokesperson for NFDC declined to comment on individual cases but stated: 'While we recognise that many residents are keen to recycle and dispose of their waste responsibly, placing waste next to full containers at the community recycling sites is fly-tipping.'
'Fly-tipping and failure to control household waste is an offence, and not only unsightly but causes environmental hazards. It can also lead to additional costs for the council, for example, where waste becomes contaminated and cannot be recycled.'
The spokesperson added that the council has seen an increase in fly-tipping at that location and has been working to address it through education and awareness. The site was remodelled and additional signage was installed on May 20, prior to the incident.
