Bedford council hand out 20 fines as people dump rubbish at recycling site in Queen’s Park

Bedford Borough Council has handed out 20 fines since January at the mini-recycling site on Old Ford End Road, Queen’s Park.

And it is reminding residents these mini-recycling sites across the town only accept specific materials such as glass bottles and jars, clothes and shoes.

The sites are not there for general rubbish and nothing should be left on the ground – and if caught, you could receive a fixed penalty notice of £400 for fly-tipping.

In a statement from the council, it said there is “a growing trend of residents leaving bags of rubbish and bulky waste, such as fridge freezers, next to the street and recycling bins.”

If any of the bins at the mini-recycling sites are full, you can report this online

And until the bins are emptied, the council is asking residents to take their recycling home or to another site.

Councillor Jim Weir, portfolio holder for environment, highways and transport, said: "It’s really fantastic that so many people are making use of these mini-recycling sites to recycle their glass jars and bottles, clothes and shoes, however, we need to get the message out to residents that they cannot leave rubbish on the ground around the bins.

"We don’t want to be issuing fixed penalty notices but we must try every method we can to deter people from dumping their rubbish incorrectly.”

To combat the issue, the council has also installed CCTV cameras at various mini-recycling sites across the borough.