The common bin habit that could land you with £1k fine

Households are at risk of committing a costly offense for this incredibly common and easily overlooked mistake. Rules can vary by council, but failing to comply with them can attract pests as well as penalties.

While for some breaking this important bin rule might be a genuine mistake, councils tend not to look so favourably upon the matter. Not following the rules can result in your bin simply not being collected or, more seriously, a hefty Fixed Penalty Notice.

Councils been clamping down on it over the years, and one Londoner was even issued a £1000 notice earlier this year for simply putting his bins out a few hours before they were due to be collected. Essentially, putting bins out on the wrong day, too early or leaving them in the street can be seen as fly-tipping, which in turn is seen as a serious offence.

When he got back from holiday, this is exactly what Clyde Strachan was faced with. The "honest mistake" that was simply made because he would not be available the next day landed him in some unexpected trouble.

Generally, guidelines for household bins include placing them at the edge of your property by the collection day, promptly returning them to the property once emptied, and not placing them in a way that obstructs pedestrians. Not complying is seen to cause a nuisance and even attract vermin, such as foxes and rats. Penalties can even be issued if waste is seen to be "unsightly".

Clyde had followed most of the rules at the time, bar one. Speaking to The Telegraph at the time, he explained,

"I deliberately put them out of the way on the pavement, tucked to one side against the wall so they weren't in anyone's way."

He added: "It meant I had put them out about six or seven hours before the evening when I would normally take them there."

Luckily for Clyde, despite there being no formal right to appeal, he was eventually pardoned, with the council concluding it was indeed a genuine mistake.

At the time, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick had commented that the action by the council "veered into Stasi-like control of people's lives. This man was clearly doing the right thing in the circumstances."

However, the rules are still very much in place, and councils have the power to take action.

When it comes to penalties, the Government states that they "wish to encourage a measured and balanced approach".

However, councils may indeed issue fines when households do not follow their waste collection rules.

Some councils, like Haringay, even warn that bins must be out by 6am on collection day. Bins that are too heavy, overflowing, and contaminated with the wrong items risk not being collected at all.

The issue has clearly attracted heated debate across the country. In response to Jeremy Vine on 5's Facebook poll, one commenter, Bernice Sheridan, sparked further agreement when she expressed issues with the bin collections and their timings themselves,

She said: "We are asked for our bins to be roadside by 7. Mine goes out the evening before. We don't all get up before 7. The bin men don't come until midday or after most weeks but Sod's Law that time you don't put it out early they will!"

One said: "Some people have no choice but to put their bins out the night before, night staff for example. I can imagine the conversations with bosses all over the country."