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| £110 fine if you put bin bags out early http://www.bbfans.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=27030 |
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| Author: | JimD [ 01 Aug 06, 0:34 ] |
| Post subject: | £110 fine if you put bin bags out early |
23:12pm 31st July 2006 DailyMail Householders face on-the-spot fines of £110 for putting their rubbish out on the wrong day under a new Government crackdown. Ministers say black bags being left out for days at a time - or at the end of a road - are an increasingly serious problem. Yesterday they urged councils to use new powers to issue offenders with fixed penalty notices as part of a broader move to prevent so-called 'fly-tipping'. But opposition MPs said fines for putting out rubbish on the wrong day were a 'nanny state' measure that could force people to keep rubbish indoors for unacceptable periods and even cause illness. There were also fears that some local authorities will see the powers as another chance to fill their coffers at taxpayers' expense, rather than using them sensibly to tackle the worst offenders. The crackdown is being urged under Labour's Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act. As well as introducing on-the-spot fines, it places a new 'duty of care' on householders to dispose of larger pieces of rubbish through registered companies or local councils. If rubbish such as DIY debris is found dumped and traced back to an individual, they will be liable for fines of up to £5,000 themselves if they have paid anyone other than a local authority or company registered with the Environment Agency to dispose of it. Larger scale fly-tipping - such as dumping large domestic items, such as fridges and mattresses, garden refuse, tyres and clinical waste - is now punishable by a fine of up to £50,000 or five years in prison. Of the on-the-spot fines, an Environment Department spokesman said: 'They should be applied to people who leave their rubbish out on the wrong day. 'Councils will tell their residents they will collect waste only on a particular day and they should leave it outside only at these times. 'If people are leaving black bags out two or three days in advance, they can come in and fine them.' Tory local government spokesman Eric Pickles welcomed the moves to encourage councils to crack down on large-scale fly-tipping. 'Things like furniture or large items being dumped by individuals or industrial-scale dumping of waste can blight neighbourhoods,' he said. But he added: 'Do we really want to start fining some poor pensioner for committing the offence of putting the wrong bag out on the wrong day? 'It strikes me as bizarre. It's just another example of an over-reaction by a Government that is determined to introduce a nanny state.' Mr Pickles said keeping rubbish inside for days on end while waiting for a council's collection day could raise difficulties for many people, particularly in the hot weather. 'It may not have occurred to ministers sitting in their air-conditioned offices, but in the real world the thought of people being trapped with a smelly kipper or yesterday's vindaloo festering in the corner of the room does not seem very sensible for public health,' he said. He also pointed out that many councils do not collect rubbish on Bank Holidays, meaning collection days can move around frequently. 'That can be very confusing, and could lead to even the most conscientious people being hit with fines,' he said. He said the Government also had to take the blame for much larger-scale fly-tipping. Ministers had botched preparations for an EU directive requiring fridges to be recycled, which had led to large-scale dumping over recent years, he said. The Government insisted fly-tipping by individual householders was costing local authorities as much to clean up as the junk dumped by profiteering 'waste cowboys'. Official figures published yesterday showed clearing up illegally dumped waste cost local authorities £50 million in the last year. More than half of this was spent on clearing household waste, such as abandoned black bin bags. The rest was spent removing waste dumped by organised 'waste criminals', who make a profit by illegally disposing of large quantities. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs admitted that some householders may be dumping their rubbish because of a lack of disposal services in their area, or out of ignorance for what is available. Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw said: 'Councils have tended to concentrate on clearance. That is vital, but there needs to be more emphasis on preventing fly-tipping happening in the first place. 'Prevention, coupled with coming down hard on those who are caught fly-tipping, could help reduce the problem and save money.' The minister said greater use could be made of CCTV cameras, which could be used to catch offenders in the act. Defra said polling evidence showed clean streets were one of voters' top three priorities when assessing their quality of life, behind only health services and levels of crime. Ministers have already given councils powers to hit people caught dropping even tiny amounts of litter with on-the-spot fines of up to £75. They warn that anyone spotted dropping 'anything, anywhere at any time' - including cigarette butts or chewing gum - can expect to incur an on-the-spot penalty. Littering offences have been extended to cover all open spaces, including rivers, lakes, ponds and all private property. In the past, it has only been an offence to drop litter in public places, such as streets and parks. |
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| Author: | pikeylass [ 01 Aug 06, 0:55 ] |
| Post subject: | |
So why dont they do what they do in France?Have big communal litter bins strategically placed along a street emptied at least twice a week.Takes half the time to do the collection with the smallest effort from householders |
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| Author: | JimD [ 02 Aug 06, 21:39 ] |
| Post subject: | |
We used to have communual skips here but they had to remove them due to the 'things' people shoved in, and, around them. One had over 40 leaking car batteries in it and another contained several drums of 'TOXIC WASTE' 
I know the person in charge of the scheme and have seen the list of items illegally dumped. Some people can't be trusted to act decently 
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| Author: | tastyfish [ 11 Aug 06, 0:12 ] |
| Post subject: | |
They should fine people for putting into their normal waste anything that could be picked up the recycling. It really annoys me that some people don't seem to care much about the world we all have to live in. My wheelie bin goes out about every 3 weeks - the rest is composted/recycled. If anything I should get a discount for using less services. I already pay disproportionately more council tax than a couple/family 
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