A Pontadawe resident has been fined £400 for dumping rubbish on the highway outside the Household Waste Recycling Centre in Lower Cwmtwrch.
Having arrived at the centre in South Powys and realising it was closed that day, instead of retuning during normal opening hours, the offender decided to dump all the waste from the back of their van outside the locked gates of the site. Disposing of rubbish in a public place in this way is classed as fly-tipping and not only posed an environmental risk to road users, other members of the public and the local area but it is also incredibly unsightly.
Thankfully the CCTV at the entrance to the Household Waste Recycling Centre caught the perpetrator in the act and a Fixed Penalty Notice for £400 was quickly issued.
“All Household Waste and Recycling Centres are open five days a week, with details of the opening days and times clearly displayed at the entrances and online.” Explains Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.
“There is no excuse for not knowing when the centres are open, and even less of an excuse for using your lack of forward planning as a reason for fly-tipping rubbish. These facilities are not a 24/7 drop off point, with strict licencing rules determining opening hours, and people can’t just leave stuff in the road outside when the centres are closed.
“Despite being on the doorstep, fly-tipping incidents such as these must still be investigated by our enforcement team and all rubbish cleared from the area and disposed of correctly, all of which cost the council in time and resources.
“The council has a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tipping and all incidents are thoroughly investigated by our enforcement team and fines issued to those responsible. Powys is a vast and beautiful county, and we will not allow the illegal behaviour of a few irresponsible people to blight our local environments.”
