Residents fined £100s for mixing up recycling
SIX people in Rhondda Cynon Taff were fined hundreds of pounds after mixing their recycling with other items.
They were among seven people from across the county borough who were made to pay a combined total of almost £4,000 for waste offences.
The seven, one from each of Penrhiwceiber, Mountain Ash, Aberdare, Abercynon, Maerdy, Fernhill and Pentre, were prosecuted at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on August 9, with six of those for contaminating recycling offences, which can mean mixing food waste and dry recyclable items in the same bag.
The other case was for a black bag waste offence.
All seven residents were charged with failure to control waste, with six of them ordered to pay £440 fines after being found guilty in their absence from court.
The other was fined £75 after pleading guilty in person.
The fines totalled £2,715, and after all seven were ordered to pay costs and victim surcharges, the collective sum was £3,909.
The prosecutions were made by Rhondda Cynon Taf council.
Nigel Wheeler, director for highways and streetcare services, said: “These latest prosecutions by the local authority reiterate its zero-tolerance ap- proach to waste offences – and they follow on from successful prosecutions in June, when 12 people were ordered to pay a total of £6,000 for similar offences of failing to control waste.
“Just like in June, the majority of the latest cases were for contaminated recycling offences – which is when food or other contaminates are put in the same recycling bag as recyclable items.
“There is clear guidance on the council’s website about contaminated recycling and how to avoid it.
“Recycling rates in Rhondda Cynon Taff are ever-increasing, and residents should be rightly proud of the 64% figure in 2016 – putting us in a promising position to hit the Welsh Government’s target of 70% by 2024-25.
“But there is still further improvement to be made, which is why the council takes a zero-tolerance approach when people fail to control their waste.”