Reigate woman fined £2.5k for putting rubbish in recycling

A woman has been ordered to pay more than £2,500 for putting a single bag of rubbish in the wrong bin.

Hien Nguyen from Reigate in Surrey, put a bag full of non-recyclable items in a community recycling bin, just feet away from a bank of general rubbish bins.

After council workers went through her bag they found her name and address and sent her an £80 fine in the post – but it soared when she failed to respond.

Ms Nguyen failed to respond to the letter sent by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council and was hauled to court earlier this month.

The council said Ms Nguyen was hit with a fine of £1,500 and ordered to pay £916 in court costs and a £150 victim surcharge – making a total of £2,566.

A council spokesman said: ‘Reigate & Banstead Borough Council issued Ms Hien Nguyen of Reigate with an £80 fine after identifying her from her refuse which the council had found in a recycling bin.

‘When the wrong materials are put in recycling containers, the council risks having the entire contents refused for recycling, meaning that it will be sent to landfill instead.’

As Ms Nguyen did not pay the initial fine, the council took her to court where magistrates fined her £1,500, added costs of £916 and a victim surcharge of £150, making a total of £2,566

Councillor Graham Knight said: ‘Dumping rubbish in a recycling container is fly-tipping and has a significant impact on the environment.

‘It is important that members of the public take these fines seriously; when a fine is not paid we will always consider the courts as an option.’