Social media brings fly-tipping fine to Rochdale resident

Bags with correspondence were found amongst a larger pile of dumped waste

A woman who claimed to have booked a waste removal service via Facebook has been fined after bags of rubbish were found dumped in a Rochdale street.

Kirsty Rothwell, 27, appeared at Manchester & Salford Magistrates’ Court on 14 December and pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to Section 34(2A) of the Environmental Protection Act (1990).

In August 2021, the council visited the scene on Nixon Street where they found the pile of waste containing documentation addressed to the defendant’s home.

Ms Rothwell failed to attend an interview in connection with the fly-tipped waste and chose not to attend court in October 2022, resulting in the issue of a warrant for her arrest without bail.

On 14 December 2022, she was arrested and later appeared in court where she was ordered to pay a total of £184 in fines and costs following her admission that she had employed someone she had found on the social media site but had not checked if he was a licensed waste carrier.

Councillor Liam O’Rourke, the council’s cabinet member for climate change and environment, said: “Booking someone to remove your waste via social media platforms such as Facebook can be risky and you should always carry out checks.  

“Sometimes the quick and what seems the easy route to removing waste can come with unwanted repercussions. Dispose of the waste correctly in the first place; book a licensed waste carrier, take your waste to a local recycling centre, or book a free bulky waste collection if you have large items.”

The council offers two free bulky waste collections of three items per household per year. Any additional items are charged at just £2.50 each.

Collections can be booked at rochdale.gov.uk/bulkywaste up to 3 weeks in advance.

Residents can also check details of a waste carrier's licence or report fly-tipping at rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling 0300 303 8884.