Peter Dazeley, a photographer working at a business centre in Morden, became increasingly aware of the volume of plastic water bottles being discarded around the area.
Wanting to make a difference, he decided to collect the bottles, bag them up, and drop them off at the Recycling Centre next to Waitrose in Raynes Park.
However, his good intentions resulted in an unexpected punishment.
Peter told Your Local Guardian: “Apparently, I did the wrong thing by bringing big sacks that wouldn’t fit in the bins, but I thought the recycling trucks would easily be able to pick up clear plastic sacks filled with plastic bottles.
“I suddenly received a fine for fly-tipping and littering.”
On December 10, Peter was issued a £150 fine for what the council classified as fly-tipping and littering.
Despite appealing the decision, he later received an email from Merton Council stating that he was dumping commercial waste, and the fine would stand.
Peter added: “I thought I was doing the right thing.
“It has been a beyond disappointing experience.
“The recycling has stopped, and now all the bottles will go into landfill.”
“It would have been nice if they had an understanding of what I was trying to do.”
A spokesperson for Merton Council stated that the case is now “closed” and reiterated that the responsibility for commercial waste lies with businesses to arrange “proper recycling or disposal.”
Despite Your Local Guardian asking whether the council would reconsider Peter’s case – given that his intention was to recycle, not illegally dump waste – the council maintained its stance, stating, “the case is now closed.”
The spokesperson added: “We have communicated this to the resident, who has paid the fine, and the case is now closed.”
Merton Council has been actively encouraging recycling efforts as part of its environmental initiatives, yet cases like Peter’s raise concerns about how well-intentioned actions are being handled.
A Merton spokesperson said: “Merton Council is committed to encouraging residents to recycle responsibly.
“However, leaving waste — even if recyclable — outside of our Neighbourhood Recycling Centres (NRCs) bins is considered fly-tipping under waste legislation.
“Public recycling points like this are meant for household waste convenience when recycling on the go — they are not intended to handle large volumes of commercial waste.
“Commercial waste is the responsibility of the business to arrange proper recycling or disposal.
“We have communicated this to the resident, who has paid the fine, and the case is now closed.”
