A group that campaigns 'against the hyperregulation of everyday life' has claimed that thousands of residents have been issued with bin fines throughout England, despite Defra's pledged commitment to curb the prevalence of such fines.
Almost 3,200 'waste receptacle' fines were issued by local authorities within the UK in the year 2011-12, according to the report by the group Campaign Manifesto. Around 2,700 of these were issued by English authorities. While this number falls below the 5,000 fines issued in 2010-11, it is more than the 999 fines issued in England in 2006-7 and 1,162 in 2008-9.
The highest numbers of bin fines were reportedly issued by Nottingham (853 fines), Edinburgh (337) and Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough (283) councils, according to the report.
The Manifesto Club published its report as part of its 'Campaign Against On-the-Spot-Fines', and specifically to raise concerns that the government's promised stance on reducing bin fines is going ignored.
In 2011, Defra published a Government Review of Waste Policy in England, which laid out specific steps to ensure that fines for minor infractions such as putting a bin out on the wrong collection day, leaving a bin lid open, or putting rubbish in the incorrect bin would be kept to an appropriate level.
The review stated: ‘Local authorities need to work with their householders, not against them. Supporting them in their efforts to do the right things can be far more effective than imposing penalties.’ It also claimed that any penalties for waste and recycling infractions ought to be ‘proportionate, necessary, and fair’. With this reasoning, Defra set a new policy to govern the levy of these fines, imposing the standard of causing ‘harm to local amenity’ as the litmus test for determining whether an infraction is fine-worthy.
The policy has already proved controversial with local authorities, many of which claim that fines are a vital tool used only as a last resort to deter repeat offenders.
What's more, Councillor Mike Jones, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s (LGA’s) Environment Board, has said that, relative to the 22 million homes whose waste is collected weekly, the amount of fines being levied in the UK is minimal.
“There is a very small number of irresponsible householders who persistently leave rubbish piling up in the street, creating an unpleasant mess and a potential health hazard for their neighbours”, he said.
“In these extreme and exceptional cases, where repeated attempts to help and guide them are ignored, councils need effective and proportionate powers to ensure the inconsiderate actions of a minority are not allowed to ruin neighbourhoods and jeopardise efforts to avoid expensive EU fines by diverting waste from going to landfill.
"Fines are only ever issued as an absolute last resort.”
Some have also questioned the information contained in the report.
Read The Manifesto Club’s full report on bin fines throughout the UK.
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