By Sophie Buchan

Copyright mirror

Residents across England are being urged to pay closer attention to how they deal with their household waste, as guidance issued via the official GOV.UK website warns you could get a notice if you do it wrong. The UK Government is calling on local councils to take an “encourage, measured and balanced approach, where householders are not penalised for minor breaches of waste bin rules. ” Officials are advising councils to focus enforcement efforts on cases where people’s actions cause real harm to the local environment. The guidance recommends that councils should start by informing residents of any issues with how their bins are presented – and only consider penalties if the problems keeps happening. In explaining “how and when local authorities can and cannot use fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for householders not complying with waste receptacle requirements,” it’s stated that the initial step can be to inform the person through a letter or an information notice . This means that if someone in the household fails to follow the council’s waste collection rules, and that failure causes or is likely to cause a nuisance – or has, or is likely to have, a negative impact on local amenities – the local council may issue a FPN. The UK Government say “you [local council] can issue fixed penalties if householders put waste out so it: It adds: “London councils can issue penalty charges instead of fixed penalties – the same rules apply.” However, if the issues are considered minor – like accidentally placing an item in the wrong bin, forgetting to close the lid or leaving bins out a few hours before collection – local councils “cannot issue” them for such minor problems. However, if there are issues that are considered small such as putting something in the wrong receptacle by mistake, forgetting to close lids or you leaving bins out for a few hours before a collection, local councils “cannot issue them for minor problems” such as the ones listed. It explains that if you do get a fixed penalty, local authorities will have followed these steps: 1. Written warning Write to the householder and explain: 2. Notice of intent Your notice of intent must name the householder and tell them: 3. Final notice You may issue a final notice 28 days after serving the notice of intent. Before doing so, you must take into account any responses received from the householder. The notice must name the householder and tell them: In further guidance, GOV.UK explain: “If you do not agree that you committed the offence listed on the notice, you might be able to challenge the fixed penalty notice. Check with the authority that gave you the notice for information on whether you can challenge fixed penalties – their details will be on the notice. “If you’re able to challenge the fixed penalty, you’ll need to provide evidence to the authority that sent you the fixed penalty notice to show why you should not receive the penalty.” You can read more about household waste bins, fines and more through the official GOV.UK website .