A Great Yarmouth man has been fined for collecting household waste without a licence.
Daniel Ford, 40, of York Road, Great Yarmouth pleaded guilty to three charges following a prosecution by Great Yarmouth Borough Council.
In October 2015, one of the borough council's environmental rangers witnessed waste being loaded into a van parked outside a home in Caister-on-Sea. This comprised a table and four chairs, flooring, underlay, hedge trimmings and pieces of metal.
Anyone who collects waste must legally have a waste carrier licence from the Environment Agency.
Ford told the council he removed waste from the address for £20, giving away some items, burning some in an incinerator in his garden and putting some rubbish into his own bins. There is no suggestion that Mr Ford fly-tipped any of the waste.
His charges included; carrying controlled waste for profit whilst not being a registered waste carrier; carrying waste and transferring it to an unauthorised person; and treating, keeping or disposing of controlled waste in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health.
Ford was fined £120 and told to pay £75 costs plus a £20 victim surcharge. He told the court he was no longer performing that sort of work.
Meanwhile the householder was issued with a formal warning by the borough council. It is the legal duty of the householder to check anyone taking waste from their home has a waste carrier licence.
Ford, was advertising on Facebook as JRS Collection Services.
Kerry Hemsworth, an environmental ranger, said: 'We regularly receive complaints from registered waste carriers regarding unregistered waste collectors, who often charge less to collect waste. We also suspect that some unregistered waste collectors are responsible for a number of the larger fly-tipping incidents across the borough.
'We take a proactive approach to enforcement by contacting those suspected of being unregistered waste carriers and offering guidance and advice, mainly by using Facebook, where many of these people offer their services. And, as this case proves, the council will prosecute where there is enough evidence.'
Anyone who witnesses an environmental crime in the borough or has information that may help to identify an offender should contact the environmental rangers on 01493 846478.
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