A Tonypandy man has paid a heavy price for his lazy fly-tipping actions!
The man had visited the closed Gelli Community Recycling Centre and decided to offload his car and fly-tip right underneath a sign that clearly stated that the site was no longer open and to use another centre, just a few miles away.
The man can be seen on RCT Council’s covert cameras, looking at and reading the sign and throwing a black bag and two carpets on the embankment, where other offenders had also fly-tipped their waste.
Due to the covert camera at the site, the Council’s dedicated enforcement team, were able to track down the fly-tipper and hold him accountable for his actions. The man admitted the offence and was issued with a £400 Fixed Penalty Notice, which he later failed to pay. Failure to pay this, then led to court action, which resulted in the judge branding the individual as “lazy” and increasing the fine, (with costs), to over £1100, (Fine £800, Costs £300, Victim Surcharge £80 – Total £1180.
This acts as a clear reminder that residents have a duty of care to dispose of their waste appropriately and to ensure that items are disposed of correctly. Failure to do this, could end up costing you a lot more than an extra 4 miles to the next nearest local community recycling centre!
Section 33(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 sets out the offence of fly tipping describing it as the “illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it”. Anyone illegally disposing of their waste could face a hefty fine as this male discovered!
Fly tipping, dropping litter or allowing your dog to foul in a public place will not be tolerated in Rhondda Cynon Taf and, as this latest case shows, the Council will use all its available powers to catch those responsible for blighting its towns and countryside.
As well as carrying out routine checks around the County Borough and responding to the reports it receives, the Council has a number of covert, roaming cameras placed in key locations to catch offenders red-handed.
The Council has a weekly, unlimited, kerbside dry, food waste and nappy recycling service, and a number of community recycling centres across the County Borough, so there’s no excuse for fly-tipping, especially items that can be collected at the kerbside or recycled right here in Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Councillor Ann Crimmings, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, Leisure and Heritage Services, said:
“Fly-tipping in our County Borough will not be tolerated, there is NEVER an excuse to blight our towns, streets and villages with your waste and we will find those responsible and hold them to account.
“As this case highlights, we investigate ALL reports of fly-tipping and we will unravel all the details as this latest offender has found out.
“Removal of fly-tipping in our County Borough costs hundreds of thousands of pounds – which could be spent on key front-line services.
“We will use EVERY power we have available to us, to hold those accountable for their actions. Many of the items we recover on our streets, towns and mountains are items that could have been taken a Community Recycling Centre or even collected from the kerbside – at no extra cost.”
