Woman fined after mattresses found dumped in Wheathampstead

A 60 year-old woman has been ordered to pay £545 after mattresses and bed bases were found in a fly-tip in Wheathampstead.

The fly-tip at Coleman Green Lane where waste, including the defendant’s, was found dumped.

The woman had failed in her legal duty to properly dispose of waste from a property she was managing in Willesden Green, London.

St Albans City and District Council prosecuted her after investigating fly-tipped waste that was dumped in Coleman Green Lane on or around 27 June 2016.

On 4 October at St Albans Magistrates Court, the defendant pleaded guilty to failing to discharge her legal ‘duty of care’ in disposing of controlled waste. This is contrary to Section 34(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

She was fined £345, ordered to pay costs of £165 and a victim surcharge of £35, making a total sum of £545.

At a previous hearing on 30 August 2017, the court heard that the defendant had passed waste, including the mattresses and bed bases, to a man called Costa. She paid him £250 to dispose of the waste, but did not check where it was going. Neither did she ask for a receipt, a business card or an address or note the registration number of the white van. Her waste was later found in a fly-tip in Coleman Green Lane, Wheathampstead.

Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, Portfolio Holder for Environment for St Albans City and District Council, said: “This is yet another case of someone disposing of their waste without checking where it is going to end up. Everyone has a legal responsibility to make sure their waste is disposed of correctly whether you are running a business or are a homeowner. If you don’t, you risk being prosecuted and fined if the waste is later found dumped in a fly-tip.”

Householders and businesses have a ‘duty of care’ under the Environmental Protection Act to ensure that their waste is transferred only to authorised persons. If you are a householder, an authorised person includes the local authority that provides your normal waste collection service.

If you have household waste that can’t be disposed of using your normal waste collection service, then you should do one of the following:

• take your waste to a Household Waste and Recycling Centre. Centres run by Hertfordshire County Council are listed online.
• use St Albans City and District Council’s special refuse collection service for bulky items of household waste, such as furniture or white goods.
• use a commercial waste collection service that is registered as an authorised carrier. You can check with the Environment Agency to see if a carrier is registered online or by calling 03708 506 506. You should ask for a receipt detailing where the waste is going, information about the transportation vehicle and the carrier’s authorisation number. This is a legal obligation for businesses, but householders are also advised to obtain this information.

If anyone sees people dumping waste, call the police on 999, tell them where the crime is in progress and pass on as much information as possible. Make a note of the vehicle registration number and take photos if possible, but do not approach the fly-tippers. The non-emergency number for the police is 101.

Fly-tipped waste can be reported to the District Council by emailing wastemanagementservices@stalbans.gov.uk or calling 01727 809019. More information about the ‘duty of care’ to dispose of waste and fly-tipping is available on our website.

Councillor contact:

Cllr Daniel Chichester-Miles, Portfolio Holder for Environment for St Albans City and District Council

Tel: 01727 819281

Email: cllr.d.chichester-miles@stalbans.gov.uk  

Contact for the media:

Amanda Wilkinson,

Senior Communications Officer

St Albans City and District Council

Tel: 01727 819317

E-mail: amanda.wilkinson@stalbans.gov.uk  

www.stalbans.gov.uk

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/StAlbansCouncil  

Notes:

More information about the ‘legal duty of care’ to ensure waste is disposed of properly is available online.

Photo:

The fly-tip at Coleman Green Lane where waste, including the defendant’s, was found dumped.