A retired woman was taken to court after a neighbour put empty Fruit Shoot bottles in her black wheelie bin.
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council took action against Catherine Maddy, alleging she failed to properly dispose of her recyclable waste, as the bottles were in the incorrect bin.
The former secretary appeared at Cwmbran Magistrates' Court, where Hayley Hawkins, appearing on behalf of the council, said the authority had decided to drop the case.
Evidence submitted by Ms Maddy showed other people were dumping recyclable waste, including drinks bottles and cans in her black bin, and in fact she was using her bins correctly.
Ms Maddy's evidence consisted of photos of children's toys, children's medicine and nappies in her black bin, which showed she probably wasn't the person using the bin incorrectly, reports Wales Online.
“After reviewing the evidence it is clear a neighbour was using her bin to put waste in,” Ms Hawkins told the judge.
Outside court Ms Maddy, supported by her partner Anthony Hale, said the ten-month-long battle with the council has caused her stress and financial loss. She said she wishes the council, controlled by Labour, had dropped the case much sooner after seeing the images.
By 2024-2025, the Welsh Government expects every local authority to hit a 70 per cent recycling rate. For every tonne under the target, councils will be hit with £200 fines.
It means local authorities are ramping up efforts to prosecute anyone deemed to be failing to dispose of their waste properly.
“It was September 12 when I first got a letter from the council’s enforcement team saying I was in breach of recycling regulations,” Ms Maddy, 57, recalled of a “mortifying experience".
"I asked the officer to give me a ring and he told me he’d found Fruit Shoots and Dr Pepper cans in my wheelie bin. I told him I’m a retired woman living on my own and I don’t have anything like that. It couldn’t possibly have been my waste.
"Then the following month on October 3 and October 4 I got further letters saying I was in breach again.
"The enforcement officer said if it’s not my waste in the wheelie bin then someone is obviously dumping recyclable waste in my bin.
"I then made sure the bin wasn’t accessible to anyone other than me other than when I put it out for collection. But then it happened again.
"I wrote to the council and said ‘I don’t know what more you want me to do about this’. But they issued me a fine for £100. I told them there is no way I’m paying it because I haven’t done anything wrong."
After sending Ms Maddy a final warning in January the council confirmed it was taking her to court. But Ms Maddy said despite the relatively small fine she was committed to continuing to fight the allegation rather than ending the dispute by paying.
Filing through her mass of documents she’d assembled ahead of the case in order to clear her name, she said the case has caused her a lot of worry.
She said: “I don’t want to be convicted in court of something I’m not guilty of and have that stain on my character, my reputation and my honesty. I wonder how many people who accept these fines are genuinely guilty.”
Mr Hale said: “I get angry when I think of all the worry she’s had and the money she’s had to spend to fight all this. I’m still annoyed.
"We’ve had to have the photo evidence printed, all the documents printed. I get nasty when I talk about it because I know all the work she’s had to put in and I know how good she is at recycling.”
Ms Maddy thanked her community for their support after her case became known in the area after she posted about it on social media.
“People have been very supportive, and surprised it ended up in court,” she added.
“I’d prepared myself for a guilty verdict today because people told me you can’t take on the council. But I have and I’ve won.”
