Pair fined after fence panels, cardboard boxes and waste fly-tipped
Two people who had unauthorised waste collectors dump household waste from their homes have been fined.
Jake Aiden Carrier, aged 27, who lives in Highfield Avenue, Wolverhampton and Chelsi Peate, 24, of Emerson Road, Wolverhampton, failed in their duty of care to make proper checks about men who took away waste.
South Staffordshire Council has successfully prosecuted both Carrier and Peate for breaching environmental laws.
The cases were heard at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme last month and on April 9. Both defendants pleaded guilty.
Carrier had a man, who was not an authorised waste collector, collect and dump his fence panels, cardboard boxes and general waste in Gailey Lea Lane in Gailey.
He was fined £200 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £752.90 to costs, resulting in a total cost of £982.90.
Meanwhile, Peate paid £40 for an unauthorised waste collector to get rid of waste after contacting him through Facebook.
The rubbish, which consisted of a sofa and black bagged waste, ended up being fly-tipped in Highgate Common in Swindon.
Peate, who works part-time as a cleaner, was fined £120 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and £851.00 costs, resulting in a total cost of £1001.00.
Councillor Roger Lees, deputy leader and cabinet member for regulatory services at South Staffordshire Council, said, “It is the legal duty of householders to check that anyone taking waste from their home is registered and has a waste carrier licence from the Environment Agency.
"Failing to make proper checks is a criminal offence and all householders and businesses have a duty of care to dispose of their waste responsibly.
“South Staffordshire is a beautiful rural district and it’s dreadful to see waste being abandoned in our countryside.
"It is completely unacceptable to fly-tip and the Council prosecutes anyone who uses an illegal collector.
"If you hand over your waste to someone who offers to take it away for a bargain price, then it’s highly likely that your waste will be dumped somewhere.
“Bulky household waste such as sofas can be disposed of at local household recycling centres and Councils also offer a bulky waste collection service too.
"Instead of searching on Facebook, the defendant could just as easily have booked online and paid only a few pounds for a single item bulky waste collection – instead, she is facing a bill of over £1,000 and now has a criminal record.”
You can report fly-tipping on the website at www.sstaffs.gov.uk
