Illegally dumped waste costs Wycombe man £659
On Wednesday 14th January 2015, at Wycombe Magistrates Court, a 47 year old man of Beechlands, Hazlemere, High Wycombe pleaded guilty to an offence of failing in his duty of care regarding waste which was later found dumped.
The court heard that in August 2014 waste was found dumped at the rear of the former Trades & Social Club in Queens Road, High Wycombe.
The waste was examined and photographed by an investigator from the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire who found evidence suggesting the source of part of the waste.
During an interview with Waste Partnership investigators, the 47 year old man said that some of the dumped waste was his and that it had been removed from his home by an unknown ‘man with van’. He said he did not know that he was required to check that the ‘man with van’ was a properly registered waste carrier. He had not kept any contact details for the man and was therefore responsible for what happened to the waste.
The Magistrates fined the 47 year old man £235 and ordered him to pay clean-up and prosecution costs of £400. A victim surcharge of £24 was also levied, making a total to pay of £659.
By law, householders and businesses have a ‘duty of care’ to check that anyone they commission to take away and dispose of their domestic or commercial waste is registered. More information about this can be found at: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/environment/waste,-recycling-and-treatment/fly-tipping/
The case was prosecuted by Buckinghamshire County Council working on behalf of the Waste Partnership for Buckinghamshire.
The Waste Partnership launched the ‘Illegal Dumping Costs’ campaign in October 2003 to combat illegal dumping and waste management offences in Buckinghamshire. Since then, the Partnership has secured 460 convictions against individuals and companies for illegal dumping and related offences. On average, there is at least one conviction per week for illegal dumping offences in Buckinghamshire. This has resulted in a halving of reported incidents and a saving of over £1 million for residents.
To report fly-tipping you can upload details including location and photos online or on your mobile at www.buckscc.gov.uk/fly.
