Thousands face fines for putting out rubbish too early
Householders have paid out over £185,000 in fines to more than a dozen councils for putting out their rubbish on the wrong day, according to the Times.The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act came into effect on April 6th last year, which permits local authorities to penalise residents for putting out the bins early or leaving bins on the pavement.Under the legislation, councils can charge householders £100 for breaches, yet some local authorities, including Med-way and Ealing, issue a £110 fine. Over the past year, Birmingham issued the most fines with a grand total of 592 residents penalised. Kensington and Chelsea issued 365 fines and Cardiff 264. Fifteen more councils already penalised people for timed rubbish removal breaches or planned to in the near future. Christine Melsom, founder of campaign group IsItfair, said to the Times: "Councils must be a little bit more forgiving. This is too stringent. A lot of people find it difficult to stick to a deadline if they are rushing out to work or they do not have a bin provided by the council."People are trying hard to be responsible with their rubbish, particularly when it comes to recycling. This is a heavy-handed strategy by councils."
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