A Wolverhampton man has been fined £1,800 for illegally dumping three refrigerators on a city street. Algirdas Bardauskas, 44, pleaded guilty to depositing controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Bardauskas abandoned the appliances on Fold Street in August of the previous year. He was captured on camera depositing two fridges around 2:30 p.m. and later returned to leave a third. The City of Wolverhampton Council was alerted to the incident, and its environmental crime team traced the vehicle used through DVLA records. It was determined that Bardauskas had borrowed the van.
During an interview with council officers, Bardauskas admitted to the act, presenting images of himself depositing the items. He claimed he needed the van to be empty for work and intended to collect the fridges later. He stated he returned a week later to retrieve them but found they were gone. Bardauskas apologized and accepted his punishment.
At Dudley Magistrates Court on August 19, Bardauskas was fined £738, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £295, and awarded full costs of £1,793.16 to the council. These costs will be reinvested into the council's environmental crime service. An eyewitness who reported the fly-tipping incident will receive a £100 Enjoy Wolverhampton gift card as a reward.
Cllr Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for resident services at City of Wolverhampton Council, described fly-tipping as a "blight on our communities" and stated that such irresponsible behavior would not be tolerated. He commended the environmental crime team's commitment to prosecuting offenders and thanked the public for their role in reporting incidents, which aids in investigations and bringing offenders to justice. Azeem encouraged anyone witnessing fly-tipping to report it to help combat the crime.