A Rochdale man who blamed his neighbour for fly-tipping has been rumbled after incriminating waste was found dumped yards from his home.
Joshua Kusznir (27) of Pike Street, Rochdale appeared at Manchester & Salford Magistrates’ Court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to an offence contrary to the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
In January 2023, a council environment warden inspected the discarded bin bags on Pomona Street, to find correspondence addressed to Mr Kusznir, who ignored several requests to attend an interview with the council, resulting in him being taken to court.
He denied fly-tipping the waste, telling the court that because his bin was full, he placed one bag in his neighbour’s rubbish receptacle. He then claimed the neighbour must have removed the bag and put it where it was found.
He was fined £100 and told to pay a victim surcharge of £40 for breaching his duty of care by not ensuring his rubbish was passed to an authorised waste carrier.
Mindless acts
Councillor Liam O’Rourke said: “Small acts of mindless dumping of rubbish like this might seem insignificant, but we all have a duty of care to dispose of waste in the right place.
“A bag of rubbish placed next to a bin or added to an existing pile of waste is still fly-tipping, and we continue to educate our residents that we will not take any form of dumping rubbish lightly. Don’t think it’s someone else’s responsibility, it’s yours.”
This year, Rochdale Council has made 20 successful convictions for environmental crimes.
Residents can report fly-tipping at rochdale.gov.uk/flytipping or by calling 0300 303 8884.
