A Filton convenience store owner has been slapped with an almost £500 fine over business waste being illegally dumped in a public bin.
Omar Mousin was ordered to pay £462 after a member of staff from Filton International Stores was spotted on CCTV depositing waste from the Filton Avenue shop in the public bin on the street outside.
Mr Mousin, of Filton Avenue, was prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council and appeared in Bristol Magistrates Court on Monday, May 12.
He pleaded guilty to fly-tipping and was handed a £269 fine, ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £108 victim surcharge.
The court heard that the area has been a long-standing hot spot for illegally dumped waste.
In December 2023, South Gloucestershire Council installed an overt CCTV camera on a lamp post overlooking the row of shops in Filton Avenue in a bid to deter and detect those involved in waste crime.
The CCTV then captured a member of staff depositing waste from Filton International Stores in the public bin later that month on December 24 and 26.
In response to the footage, environmental enforcement officers visited the store the following January and Mr Mousin was served with a notice under section 47 of the Environmental Protection Act, which required him to use appropriate receptacles for commercial waste and ensure that they are kept clean, rodent proof and emptied regularly.
Then in June 2024, following local business waste checks by the environmental team, it was discovered that Filton International Stores had no commercial waste contract, despite being issued with a notice earlier that year.
Further CCTV footage again captured what appeared to be staff from the store placing commercial waste in the public bin outside.
The council then served a requirement on Filton International Stores, and Mr Mousin as the owner, to prove that he had a valid waste contract for the business – which he failed to produce.
He was then reported for summons for the offences.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, cabinet member responsible for environmental enforcement at South Gloucestershire Council, said: “Businesses have a legal duty to manage their waste responsibly and we want to send a clear message that we will continue to take enforcement action against those who flout the law.
“In this case, despite being issued a legal notice and having ample opportunity to comply, the store owner failed to secure a commercial waste contract and continued to dispose of business waste improperly.
“Using public bins for commercial waste is completely unacceptable and places an unfair burden on local taxpayers.
“Prosecutions like these protect our environment and create cleaner and safer places for our communities.”