A man from the Rhondda area has been ordered to pay a total of £724 for two separate offences of failing to make sure his waste was disposed of correctly – following a successful prosecution by the Council.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council brought the proceedings at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, March 25, for two separate incidents where waste had been illegally dumped in Clydach Vale and Treorchy. They were discovered by Council enforcement officers in April 2019 and November 2019.
The first incident concerned waste found on April 10, 2019, at Howard Street in Clydach Vale – which had been left on the embankment along the access road to the top lake car park. The waste consisted of two black bags, a white bag, a flat screen television and hi-fi speakers. On inspection by enforcement officers, it was also found to contain evidence relating to the defendant.
The second incident concerned waste found on November 7, 2019, at the former Treorchy CA site, off Cemetery Road in Treorchy. The waste consisted of a large quantity of emptied-out bags containing household rubbish, and officers again found it to contain evidence which related to the defendant.
The defendant was invited by officers to attend two separate interviews in relation to the incidents, under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. He failed to attend either interview, so the Council began court proceedings.
In court on Thursday (March 25, 2021), the defendant said he had paid for the waste to be disposed of by a waste management company, and would not have engaged its services had he known the waste would be illegally dumped. He accepted that he didn’t check to ensure his waste would be disposed of responsibly, and pleaded guilty to Failure to Control Waste for each offence.
The Magistrate reiterated that it is an individual’s responsibility to ensure waste is disposed of properly. The resident was fined £120 for each offence, and ordered to pay £450 in costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
Nigel Wheeler, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Group Director – Prosperity, Development and Frontline Services, said: “This is a very positive outcome for the Council, which reiterates that fly tipping offences are unacceptable and that we will not hesitate to follow-up on incidents like these. The proceedings came about due to the work of our dedicated enforcement officers, who carry out regular patrols across the County Borough and investigate instances where waste has been illegally dumped in communities.
“The defendant in this case paid a waste management company to dispose of his waste but did not check that this was being done so properly, which was his responsibility. The Magistrate made an important point to the defendant on Thursday – that if we all took the idea to dump our waste where we live, how bad the environment around us would become. We all have our part to play in looking after our local area, for the benefit of everyone.
“Another important factor is the cost of investigations like these, including the time of our officers – which could have been better spent elsewhere if no offence had taken place in the first place. The defendant must now pay £450 costs as part of the £724 total amount he was ordered to pay by the judge.”
