Fly-tipping fine for man who gave his rubbish to unlicensed scrap dealer

A separate example of the kind of fly-tipping often found by councils.

Jason Hall, of Mapletoft Avenue, was hauled before magistrates after he hired an unlicensed scrap dealer to illegally dump waste, which was found on the car park of a recreation ground.

Now Mansfield District Council, who brought the prosecution, have made it clear that they will not tolerate fly-tipping, even if residents get someone else to do it for them.

“Time and again, people are giving their rubbish to unlicensed carriers to dispose of, and then they end up in court because of fly tipping,” said Coun Mick Barton, the council’s portfolio holder for public protection.

“Residents have to understand that they have a duty of care to ensure that any waste from their household is disposed of properly. This means that if they employ someone to remove waste, that scrap dealer must have a waste carrier licence.

“To protect themselves from this kind of offence, residents should get a receipt and the address of the trader they are using because if the council finds fly-tipped waste, we will prosecute whenever we can.

“Using an unlicensed waste carrier might seem cheaper but, in the long term, it can be a very expensive way to dispose of your rubbish if a case like this goes to court.”

Mansfield Magistrates’ Court heard that Hall was caught after a large amount of rubbish was found by a council neighbourhood warden at Lords Recreation Ground on Slant Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse on Thursday, July 21 last year.

It contained documents addressed to Hall, who was then living on Charles Street, Mansfield, and when he was interviewed by the council, he accepted that the waste was his. In court, Hall admitted a charge of failing to comply with his householder duty of care in respect of waste under the Environmental Protection Act. He was fined £140 and ordered to pay £370.48 in costs, plus a surcharge of £30, all of which totalled £540.78.