A resident of Letchworth, England, was fined £300 for illegally disposing of rubbish (known as illegal dumping in local slang), the Comet reported.
Waste handled includes furniture, general trash and construction bags. It was dumped in a relatively rural area and left there.
Town officials remind residents that they have a responsibility to make sure their trash is properly disposed of, even if they leave the job to someone else or hire someone to do it.
They note, “Any time someone hires another person to dispose of waste, documentation must be obtained: an appropriate invoice, waste transfer order or receipt, including a description of the waste to be removed and the waste carrier’s contact information,” the Comet reported.
North Herts Council has gone a step further, encouraging people to say no to any unexpected offers to take away rubbish and to ask where and how it will be disposed of before having it disposed of by a qualified company.
Proper disposal of waste helps keep areas clean and tidy while also being good for the planet. According to WWF, plastic straws take 200 years to decompose. Proper disposal of trash can at least help curb such problems. Knowing how, when, and where to recycle can completely prevent this from happening.
Dumping is not just a British problem. People in the U.S. also struggle with this, such as one person in Maryland who found trash in a nature preserve and another who found people dumping trash into a pond.
If this is happening in your community, it can help to stand up to your neighbors and vote for politicians who want to stop it. Education might also be in order, as some people simply don’t understand the problems that can arise from dumping outside of designated areas.
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