Man is fined £1,000 for leaving cardboard box next to overflowing recycling bin

Published: 17:59, 30 June 2026 | Updated: 18:05, 30 June 2026 A homeowner was left in shock after being handed a £1,000 fine for leaving a cardboard box next to an overflowing recycling bin outside a Tesco's.  Lee Reynolds, 53, said he felt 'physically sick' after receiving an enforcement notice a few days after dropping off the cardboard box at his nearby community recycling facilities.  Having recently moved house, the export control worker had taken some boxes to the facilities outside the Tesco in New Milton, Hampshire.  When he arrived, he found the bins were overflowing, with waste strewn across the ground.  Having checked all of the containers for spare room and having found no space, Mr Reynolds neatly placed his box in front of the bin and picked up some nearby litter.  But less than a week later, he received a fly-tipping fine for 'illegally depositing waste outside of a designated recycling facility'.  New Forest District Council's vigilant letter stated that the cardboard box was 'out of control'.   Mr Reynolds received the maximum penalty of £1,000, having been caught by his address printed on the cardboard box.  Lee Reynolds (pictured) said he felt 'physically sick' after he received the enforcement notice in the post  Pictured: the cardboard box placed by Mr Reynolds neatly in front of already-overflowing recycling bins  New Forest District Council claims the bins are emptied three times a week - but photographs taken at the time show all four bins were overflowing with rubbish.  The 'law-abiding resident' appealed the fine and was told that it would be transferred to a 'failure to control household waste' offence as the waste was 'out of control'. He was told that the new fine would be £300, reduced to £150 if paid before July 3. Mr Reynolds said: 'The bins were full to overflowing and there was no available capacity for additional cardboard. 'I did not see any instructions or signage warning against leaving recycling adjacent to full containers - if signage exists, it was not visible due to the volume of waste already present. 'Having checked all containers and found no available space, I placed my box neatly and safely in front of a bin in the corner, without obstructing access, and I also picked up nearby litter to leave the area in as tidy a condition as possible. 'I am a law-abiding resident and have not previously been subject to any fines or penalties by the council or any other authority. 'For that reason, the notice came as a shock - particularly as my intention was to recycle responsibly.' New Forest District Council handed Mr Reynolds the maximum penalty of £1,000  A spokesperson for New Forest District Council said: 'The recycling containers at this site are emptied three times a week and are intended for residents to dispose of small quantities of recycling.  'Residents are also able to recycle from home using their green-lidded recycling bin.  'In addition, the council can collect a small bundle of cardboard placed next to the green-lidded recycling bin on the scheduled collection day, provided it is flattened and left in dry weather.  'For larger quantities of recycling, residents are encouraged to use one of the local Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRCs) at Marchwood, Efford or Somerley. 'While we recognise that many residents are keen to recycle and dispose of their waste responsibly, placing waste next to full containers at the community recycling sites is flytipping.  'Flytipping and failure to control household waste is an offence and not only unsightly, but causes environmental hazards. It can also lead to additional costs for the council, for example, where waste becomes contaminated and cannot be recycled.  'We have seen an increase in flytipping at this location and have been working to address this through education and awareness.  'The site was remodelled and additional signage was installed on May 20, 2026, prior to this incident.'  The incident follows another debacle in May, when a Labour-run council handed a man a £1,000 fine for putting an empty envelope in a public bin.  Nidas Ratkevicius, 47, thought it was a 'joke' when he received a letter from Hounslow council alleging he had been caught fly-tipping after the envelope was found inside a black bin bag in a bin meant for purple bags.  The father has been left 'shocked' by the ordeal after being slapped with the 'huge' fixed penalty notice, which he said was 'not fair'.  However the local authority dismissed his concerns and had stood by the decision to issue the fine, saying it has a 'zero tolerance' policy towards fly-tipping, before pausing it.  Meanwhile, in October last year a woman was fined £150 for pouring coffee down a drain.  Burcu Yesilyurt, from Kew, west London, said she tipped a small amount of the drink from her reusable cup down the road gully because she didn't want to spill it on the bus.  But moments later, she was 'shocked' to see three male enforcement officers 'chasing' her down the street as she stood at the bus stop near Richmond station.  The officers fined her £150 under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, reduced to £100 if she paid within 14 days.    Initially, Richmond-upon-Thames Council insisted its officers 'acted professionally and objectively' and were 'justified' in issuing the fine.  But the council later said it had cancelled the fine and is 'reviewing our advice on the disposal of liquids in a public place'.  No comments have so far been submitted. 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