Resident makes costly mistake in paying cash for waste to be removed

A Buckinghamshire resident who made the mistake of paying cash to have his waste taken away is now paying the price for his error after the waste was dumped illegally and he has been fined in court.

Mudasser Arif, 55, from High Wycombe, pleaded guilty to the offence of failing in his duty of care when he appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates Court on Wednesday 10 August.

The court heard that on Friday 25 February 2022, bird excrement was found to have been dumped at Old Dashwood Hill, High Wycombe. Buckinghamshire Council’s enforcement team attended the site where they found a name and address belonging to Arif, amongst the waste.

Mr Arif attended an interview at High Wycombe Police Station, where he admitted he should have done more to prevent the waste from being dumped after paying someone cash to dispose of it. Mr Arif explained that a man with a large van arrived at his door asking to take away some scrap metal on his driveway. Mr Arif said he could do so, as long as he took away some of the additional waste which he had in his back garden. Mr Arif admitted making no checks on the man and said he paid him cash for the waste to be taken away.

Magistrates fined Arif £386 and ordered him to pay clean up and investigation costs of £1,298. A victim surcharge of £34 was also levied – making a total to pay of £1,718.

Gareth Williams, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment said: “This case highlights the dangers of using an unlicensed waste carrier. You don’t know how they are going to dispose of your waste and the chances are, they will do so unlawfully. Not only could your actions lead to you being prosecuted as well, by using rogue traders like this you could indirectly be allowing fly-tipping to happen in your community. The safest thing is always to use a reputable collector, check their details and never, ever pay them in cash. Our S.C.R.A.P code gives you the tools you need to ensure that your waste is disposed of correctly.”

Find out more about how to dispose of your waste safely online.

To report fly-tipping anywhere in Buckinghamshire visit our website: www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/fix-my-street