A Swindon resident has paid a £600 fine after waste linked to them was found fly-tipped on a roadside verge near Lydiard Park.
Wiltshire Council issued the fixed penalty notice (FPN) after an investigation found the resident had failed to check whether a rubbish removal service was authorised to carry waste.
The incident happened in April, when the resident was renovating a property and moving out of a previous home.
They had hired skips for building waste and arranged for some items to be taken to Swindon household recycling centre, but also paid a rubbish removal service to take away other waste.
Two separate piles of rubbish were subsequently discovered dumped on a roadside verge in Lydiard Tregoze, within the Wiltshire Council area.
A council investigation traced the waste back to the resident. During an interview, they recognised items in both piles and accepted full responsibility for handing waste to someone without checking their authorisation or obtaining any documentation.
The resident accepted a £600 fixed penalty notice for breaching their household waste duty of care, and the fine has since been paid in full.
Cllr Martin Smith, Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Streetscene and Flooding, said: “People have a legal responsibility to ensure their household waste is disposed of properly.
“If you pay someone to take away waste, you should always check that they are a registered waste carrier, get a receipt and also take the registration and details of their vehicle.
“Failing to do so can result in your waste being fly-tipped and it could leave you facing enforcement action.
“This case highlights the importance of taking a few simple checks before handing waste over to someone else.
“It helps protect our environment and ensures waste is managed responsibly.”
Residents can check whether a waste carrier is registered and find guidance on their household waste duty of care at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/fly-tipping.
