A man in the United Kingdom was fined £695 ($934) and ordered to perform 120 hours of community service after being caught fly-tipping, or illegally dumping waste.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Andrew Parker was spotted by a security guard pulling up to the site of a former pub in south Manchester in a white transit van and dumping dozens of tires. The guard reported the incident to the police, who later questioned Parker and discovered he had been bribed by a local garage with £300 ($403) to dump the tires.

Police ordered their removal, but Parker told the security guard he wasn't able to fit the tires in his van when he returned.

Several months later, the same officer noticed Parker driving a similar van overloaded with garden waste in a nearby town and pulled him over.

"He did not offer a suitable explanation as to why he had the waste and admitted that he did not have a waste carrier's license," the news outlet explained, adding that police seized the van after learning it was uninsured and the registration didn't match its VIN.

While these incidents happened in 2020, Parker "evaded justice" for nearly five years, failing to attend court and meetings organized by the council's Environmental Crimes team on several occasions, per the newspaper.

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Police issued warrants for his appearance in court, where he eventually pleaded guilty to fly-tipping, failing to provide a waste carrier's license, and ignoring bail conditions.

Illegal dumping creates eyesores for communities and often places the burden on landowners to cover the costs of cleanup. It also poses health and environmental hazards.

Piles of tires can ignite easily, releasing toxic smoke and chemicals. Even without catching fire, tires leach heavy metals into soil and waterways, harming wildlife and vegetation. Additionally, they may collect stagnant water and attract disease-carrying mosquitoes.

According to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, nearly 80% of tires are recycled or repurposed into valuable materials such as ground rubber for roads, per Recycling Product News. Recycling tires is not only better for the planet and people's health, but it also contributes to a zero-waste economy. When citizens take responsibility for properly disposing of waste, everyone benefits.

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"It's beggars' belief that people think that they can get away with deliberate fly-tipping, blighting our communities and harming the environment," Councilor Lee-Ann Igbon, executive member for vibrant neighbourhoods, told the Evening News. "... Hopefully this will make potential fly-tippers think twice before dumping rubbish illegally in Manchester."

Should it be illegal to throw away old clothes?

Heck yes 👍