Illegal waste disposal leads to fine

A PLYMOUTH man paid to dispose of rubbish has been fined £3,600, after illegally discarding waste in a lay-by near Tavistock.

Daniel Goldstone, of Barne Road, pleaded guilty to four offences at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court, relating to charges of not keeping records of waste and of collecting scrap metal without a license over a three-month period from January 2020.

Council officers found a fridgefreezer, fish tank, black bags of refuse and a cardboard box dumped in a lay-by on the B3362, between the junction for Tuell Down and Lamerton.

Using an address found on the box, officers were able to trace the waste back to Goldstone, who had been paid to dispose of the waste. In total, he was found guilty of three separate offences of not keeping written descriptions of waste, known as waste transfer notes, relating to specific loads of waste he had collected.

The 40-year-old was also found guilty in court of a fifth offence of depositing controlled waste or knowingly causing or permitting controlled waste to be deposited. The court also heard that, despite being advised by the council that he needed a scrap metal licence, he continued to operate his business illegally for three months. During this time, he deposited scrap metal to the value of £2,021.95.

In total, Goldstone was fined £606 and also ordered to pay £2,900 costs and a victim surcharge of £95. He was also given a 12-month community order, including 150 hours of unpaid community work.