Couple fined over rubbish
Saturday 14th July 2007, 6:40PM BST.
Magistrates have handed a young couple from Telford with a court bill for £2,300 for failing to put their rubbish in their wheelie bin. The case was brought by Telford & Wrekin Council.
Gemma and Warren Teece, 23 and 24, of Wantage, Woodside, were both found guilty of nine charges of failing to put waste in the correct receptacle.
They left black and green sacks of rubbish next to their wheelie bin on a string of occasions between February last year and May this year, Telford Magistrates’ Court heard.
Neither of the pair turned up at court but magistrates decided to proceed in their absence and found the case to be proved. They fined the pair £100 for every count amounting, with £250 costs, to £1,150 each.
Mrs Lorraine Fowkes, prosecuting for the council, showed magistrates photographs of the rubbish piled next to the bins.
She said officers had sent several warning letters and attempted to engage with the pair since last February.
Officers had also tried to arrange meetings with the pair but failed.
“The Environmental Protection Act says the council can require households to place rubbish in receptacles – in this case wheelie bins and or red recycling boxes,” said Mrs Fowkes.
She added that new regulations were introduced in October 2005, including reducing collections to an alternate week system.
“If we allow black bags to be dumped we give the impression to other householders that it is acceptable.
“Bags placed next to bins also make the area look uncared for.”
She said bags left on the ground also attracted mice, rats, cats and dogs.
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i feel sorry for the couple to be fined this amount.
i tryed to cut down on my rubbish and recycle as much as i can. but with two children still in nappies
my wheelie bins over flows. fornightly collections do make things harder. what are you ment to do when you have filled your bin.
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about time these people are showed they can not get away with things like this
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I think the fine was far to severe! I struggle to keep my rubbish to a minimum just to keep my bin lid closed as the collection is now every 2 weeks. I do recycle but that dosnt help much as my recyle tub & bag are overflowing well before collection day. I have to take my rubbish to the skips myself else I would have mice & rats probably. I think the system needs re inventing as its still not working. I am all for recycling but collection should still be weekly not fortnightly.
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a fine of this magnitude is silly , aperson can rob you and get less its obscene
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When is the Uk going to become more realistic with who is a criminal and who is not. This is ridiculous, people pay their council taxes and atleast this young couple put the bags beside their wheelie bin, they did not fly tip as so many in Telford seem to do.
By fining people such large amounts, they will turn to dumping rubbish in the countryside.
Get a grip on what really matters and provide larger bins which are sealed against rats and mice, the collection is obviously not frequent enough if the bags of one couple don’t fit in the bins the “its not my job pal” approach to life seems more and more prevalent in the UK. It will have cost more to take a couple to court than to issue a larger bin and to pay people to paper shuffle. Where I live we take our rubbish to a central location and recycling area of the village and this works really really well, there is no problem with litter and the bin men only have to come to a central location. I also think that people should have more pride in supporting the rules of the country they reside in and the laws but requesting a fine which obviously isn’t going to get paid is ridiculous.
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i highly disagree with the outcome of this offence, i would of attended court but forgot about the court hearing as i moved home as i found work in another county, i will be appealing against this, the The Environmental Protection did come out to disguss the matter several times, they even went through my rubbish in my garden and showed us what to do regarding recycling, we requested more recycling boxes and bins but did not receive them, how can we possibly recycle 2 weeks worth in one box, and where was we suppose to leave the rubbish as we had cats and a dog in a small garden and my children had to play in garden with the rubbish, we wont be the only family in the county to be prosecuted as every one will and is doing the same as us, and feels the same way. councils policy is unrealistic and do not take in to account for larger familys, i rang the council on several occasions to collect my extra bags and they refused. what is a family supposed to do if the council dont help?
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Good for you T & W Council.
This degree of waste dumping occurs out of sheer laziness. Our family of 5 half-fill a red wheelie bin once a fortnight, and we certainly don’t leave bags and bags of rotting rubbish lying around to attract vermin.
Keep up the good work T & W and continue to pursue these idle polluters.
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my point is your paying your councill tax and you are doing the work,ie recycling, so why are you paying it? only can this happen in the uk , the brits have become a nation of thickos , they que with out quistion now they pay there taxes with out quistion, powers that be must be laughing all the way to the bank
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What is so difficult about recycling ?And you can get another
bin if you request one or spend £1.00 and get one from Wilkos.
making the effort is not hard,i believe people are just lazy and dont care about the enviroment.
And dont even start me on fly tipping.
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Its the old woe is me excuse which just doesnt stand up. I agree with Wendy – why didnt they get more plastic boxes. We put two boxes out and they get emptied along with the green bin.
Also, if Warren Teece finds it so hard to receyle, why dont they just dump the excess packaging at the supermarket before they leave to go home. This would reduce the amount that needs to be recycled and they wouldnt have the problem of tyring ot get it all into one box.
Well done Telford and Wrekin – if I along with other people, bother to recycle and abide by the laws, why should other people be exempt?
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Either through contempt for the court or for being a complete berk with the intelligence of a gnat, this idiot “tried it on”. He has found to his cost that life has some responsibilities and obligations which all sensible people comply with. I have no sympathy with him at all. He will still be protesting his innocence when he goes to prison for non-payment of the fine – as well he should if it comes to that.
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I have a large family of 9 and i seem to cope VERY WELL with recycling my rubbish and putting waste in one and a half wheelie bins for fornightly collection! It costs less than the given fine to buy small plastic containers with lids so you can store them outside without cats etc being able to get to them from Do It All!
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