Aussies threatened with $312 for simple bin act we’ve all done before
A South Australian council is threatening residents with huge fines for leaving bins on the pavement for too long.
Port Adelaide Enfield Council has issued warnings telling locals not to leave their bins on the sidewalk for too long.
Under the Waste Management Regulations, which have been in place for at least five years, rubbish bins can only be put out between 4pm the evening before waste collection and midnight the day after.
Anyone caught with their bin on the sidewalk outside that time frame now faces a $312.50 fine.
Port Adelaide Enfield is inundated with more than 200 complaints about litter on the streets every year, a spokesperson said.
It is understood the council will be contacting residents to inform them of the obligation to remove bins from footpaths before issuing fines.
“But as a last resort, fines may be imposed,” the spokesperson said.
The news came as a shock to many residents, who did not realize they could be fined for simply leaving a bin outside.
South Australia’s Port Adelaide Enfield Council has warned residents that a $312.50 fine will be issued to anyone who leaves their bins on the curb for too long.
Hadi Jafari said his family would struggle to pay the fine if they received one.
“$300 for a fine is very difficult for people to pay, it’s really a lot of money,” he says the advertiser said.
“We’d probably have to pay it back over time. I don’t think we can pay it all at once, so that’s not good.’
Other Aussies on social media agreed the fine was excessive.
One man claimed he received a warning letter from his council for leaving his bin on a quiet side road.
“How is $312 justified if you leave a trash can on a quiet road for too long,” he wrote.
In the case of this man, the publication reported that he was ultimately not fined by the municipality.
Another resident called the rules ‘absurd’, while a third dismissed the whole situation as ‘ridiculous’.
According to municipal rules, it is only acceptable to leave the rubbish bins outside between 4pm the evening before waste collection and midnight the day after
Locals took to social media to condemn the expensive fine, but the council said only four fines have been issued in the past five years (stock image)
The council told the publication it has only issued four fines in the past five years, despite community outcry.
It is not known how many warning letters have been sent as this is dealt with under a general waste management category which the council could not comment on.
The spokesperson added that leaving trash on the sidewalk for too long made the neighborhood less accessible.
“Abandonment of bins can affect many things, including accessibility for people walking, in wheelchairs or pushing prams on footpaths, and it can also affect vehicular and emergency access on the streets,” they said .
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Port Adelaide Enfield Council for comment.