Ministers signal axe for ‘heavy-handed’ bin fines

Ministers are launching a consultation on moves to prevent councils from imposing bin fines of up to £1,000 on people who overfill their bins or accidentally put them out on the wrong day.

Under the proposed changes, local authorities would only be allowed to issue fines if they can prove residents are causing a “harm to local amenity” by putting out their rubbish incorrectly.

The tighter rules would still allow councils to take action against householders who cause problems for their neighbours or the local environment by the way they dispose of their rubbish, the Environment Department (Defra) said.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “Heavy-handed bin fines have for too long been used to punish people for innocent mistakes. We are now consigning them to the scrap heap of history.

“We want to see people helping us to boost recycling rates by putting out their rubbish correctly, but bullying them with fines is not the way to do it.

“This consultation will mean that only those causing real problems for their community will get punished.”

The move was first promised last summer in the Government’s long-awaited waste review.