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A man who paid a cold caller to take rubbish from outside his home has been fined £1,500 after the waste was found fly-tipped - when he could have just paid the council £27.
Danny Kingsnorth, 38, of Aspdin Road, Gravesend, pleaded guilty to failing in his duty of care to dispose of waste lawfully when he appeared before Medway magistrates.
The court heard that in June 2021, environmental enforcement officers from Gravesham council found fly-tipped carpet and household waste in Hog Lane, Northfleet.
Inquiries led to an address nearby and Kingsnorth was identified as the previous owner of the waste.
Kingsnorth told the officers he had paid an unknown male who cold called at his address to dispose of the items.
He admitted failing to check on the person’s legitimacy or whether they held an Environment Agency Permit, and that he did not ask for a waste transfer note for the collection.
In addition to the fine, Kingsnorth was ordered to pay £340 costs and £129 in compensation at the hearing on October 22.
Welcoming the result, Cllr Shane Mochrie-Cox, Gravesham council’s cabinet member for community and leisure, said: “We do not tolerate fly-tipping in our borough and where we have evidence to lead us to those responsible we will pursue all legal avenues open to us.
“This was a complex case to bring to court, but our environmental enforcement team was determined to see it through to its rightful conclusion.”
Under the Environmental Protection Act, householders have a duty of care to ensure waste is going to be disposed of lawfully. This includes ensuring the person taking their waste holds an Environment Agency Waste Carrier’s Licence and that they receive a copy of the operator’s Waste Transfer Note.
Cllr Mochrie-Cox added: “For £27, you can book a council bulky waste collection. Letting someone who knocks on your door offering to take waste away, or making arrangements with random people on social media, is very likely to see you ending up paying far more than that if your rubbish is fly-tipped.
“Placing white goods or other items outside of your property and on public land is also fly-tipping,” he added.
“Not checking the credentials of whoever picks it up is a contravention of the Environmental Protection Act.
“Those who collect white goods are likely to strip them for what is of value and then dump the remains with little or no regard for the environment.
“By putting out on social media you have left waste out for whoever wants to collect it, you are effectively advertising that you are breaking the law and opening yourselves up to the consequences that brings.
“We are determined to come down hard on those who fly-tip rubbish and those who show little or no regard for who takes their waste and what happens to it.”
