TWO Basingstoke men have been ordered to pay the council’s clean-up costs after they pleaded guilty to two separate fly-tipping offences at a council-owned recycling site.

Brennee Melo, of Packenham Road, Basingstoke, appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 4 and pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence after dumping two black bags of commercial waste on the ground in front of the recycling banks at the Winklebury Centre on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Magistrates ordered Melo to pay the council’s costs of £1,008.50.

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John Smith, of Sark Way, Popley, also appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Monday, March 4, and pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence after leaving a number of cardboard boxes and bags of glass bottles on the ground in front of the recycling banks, also at the Winklebury Centre, on Sunday, April 2, 2023.

He was ordered to pay prosecution and clean-up costs of £557.

The cases were brought by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council after both incidents were captured by surveillance cameras.

The cameras were installed at all council-owned recycling sites in November 2022 resulting in a reduction in the amount of fly-tipping at these sites.

Cabinet member for residents’ services and housing Cllr Laura James said: “Signage at all six of our recycling sites makes it clear that leaving items on the floor or on top of the bins is fly-tipping and could result in a fine or prosecution.

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“To avoid this, people who find the bins at the recycling site full, shouldn’t just dump recycling or waste there. There are other options if they can’t come back when the bins are emptied. For example cardboard and glass are both collected at the kerbside and recycling and waste can be taken to the Household Waste and Recycling Centre in Wade Road.”

Since the surveillance equipment has been in place it has provided evidence to help the the council to secure eight  prosecutions, 50 fixed penalty notices, five written warnings and one formal caution.

Visit basingstoke.gov.uk/a-z-waste-and-recycling for more information on how to dispose of unwanted items.