A Leicestershire man who threw junk mail in a litter bin on his way to work and received a £50 fixed penalty notice from his local council for "dumping domestic refuse", has had the offence overturned. Andy Tierney left his house and collected his post from the postman coming up the road, and then put them straight in a litter bin after realising they weren't important. A fortnight later the fine arrived from Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Tierney, who was planning to appeal, had the backing of local councillors who argued that the punishment was harsh and disproportionate. The Council said they had investigated the case and decided to drop it because of conflicting evidence.
In other waste news, Friends of the Earth have asked the Government to set a waste prevention target for municipal waste, as figures this month have revealed that it increased by 2.1% last year, despite decreasing in 2003/04. The Government is currently reviewing the national waste strategy, but no waste minimisation targets are proposed. Dr Anna Watson, a waste campaigner at FoE argues that "tough new policies and targets are needed in order to reduce the amount of waste thrown away every year. Success has already been achieved with regard to recycling rates, so why not waste prevention"?
The Government consultation paper on the national waste strategy is available from the DEFRA website, and the deadline for any comments is 9 May 2006.
