A HOMEOWNER was fined £1,000 for leaving a box of cardboard next to an overflowing recycling bin outside a supermarket.
Lee Reynolds was shocked when he received the enforcement notice less than a week after visiting the recycling facilities.
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Lee Reynolds received the enforcement notice a few days after using the facilities Credit: Solent
The letter from the council left Lee shocked Credit: Solent
Having recently moved house in Hampshire, Lee took some cardboard boxes to the nearby recycling bin at his local supermarket on May 31.
When he arrived at the shop in New Milton, the bins were overflowing and waste strewn across the ground.
Having checked all the containers, Lee placed his box neatly in front of the bin and picked up some nearby litter.
However less than a week later, he received a fly-tipping fine for “illegally depositing waste outside of a designated recycling facility”.
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Lee was handed a £1,000 fine for leaving a box of cardboard next to an overflowing recycling bin Credit: Solent
Carole Wright was fined £600 for ‘fly-tipping’ one box in front of some bins Credit: SWNS
Lee said he felt physically sick after getting slapped with the maximum penalty of £1,000 for this offence.
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.
Lee 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.”
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 20th May 2026, prior to this incident.”
This comes after a grandmother in Reading was hit with a £600 fine after being accused of fly-tipping a single cardboard box.
Carole Wright, 83, took some rubbish to the recycling point outside her local community centre in October.
The pensioner says she placed everything in the correct recycling bin.
However, just days later she received a letter from a contractor working on behalf of Reading Council warning she could face a criminal conviction for fly-tipping.
And in November, a single mother was fined £1,000 after she left a cardboard envelope next to an overflowing bin.
Lorretta Alvarez, 26, put the envelope on top of some boxes by the communal bins used by her and 34 other flats in her block in Feltham, West London.
The nurse was tracked down by her local council from the address on the envelope and told unless she pays the £1,000 fly-tipping fine, they would take legal action.
