Aussies threatened with $312 for simple bin act weve all done before
A South Australian council is threatening residents with massive fines for leaving bins out on the curb for too long.
A South Australian council is threatening residents with massive fines for leaving bins out on the curb for too long.
Port Adelaide Enfield Council has issued warnings instructing locals not to leave their bins on the sidewalk for too long.
Under the waste management by-laws, which have been in place for at least five years, bins can only be left out between 4pm the night before rubbish collection and midnight the day after collection.
Anyone caught with their bin on the curb outside that timeframe now faces a hefty $312.50 fine.
Port Adelaide Enfield is inundated with more than 200 complaints each year in relation to bins left on streets, a spokesperson said.
Its understood residents will be contacted by council to advise them of the requirement to remove bins from footpaths prior to any fines being handed out.
However as a final resort expiations may be issued, the spokesperson said.
The news came as a shock to many residents who didnt realise they could be fined for simply leaving a bin out.
Port Adelaide Enfield Council in South Australia has warned it residents that $312.50 fines will be handed out for anyone who leaves their bins on the curb for too long
Hadi Jafari said his family would struggle to pay the fine if they were issued with one.
$300 for a fine is really hard for people to afford, it is really a lot of money, he told the Advertiser.
We would probably have to repay it over time, I don’t think we could pay it at once so that is not good.
Other Aussies on social media agreed that the fine was excessive.
One man claimed to have been sent a warning letter from his council for leaving his bin on a quiet back road.
How is $312 justified for leaving a bin out too long on a quiet backroad, he wrote.
In this mans case, the publication reported he was ultimately not fined by council.
Another resident called the rules absurd while a third dismissed the whole situation as ridiculous.
It is only acceptable to leave bins out between 4pm the night before rubbish collection and midnight the day after collection under council rules
Locals took to social media to slam the costly fine but council said it has only handed out four in the last five years (stock image)
The council told the publication that it has only handed out four fine in the last five years, despite the community outrage.
It is unknown how many warning letters have been sent out as that is handled under a general waste management category which council could not comment on.
The spokesperson added that leaving bins out on the sidewalk for excessive amounts of time made the neighbourhood less accessible.
Leaving bins out can impact many things including accessibility for people walking, in wheelchairs or pushing prams on footpaths, and it can also impact vehicle and emergency access on streets, they said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Port Adelaide Enfield Council for comment.
