(GUF) RICHMOND UPON KAFKA

When in Richmond upon Thames, if you ever find yourself with a coffee, tea or any drink you just can’t finish the council advises you to pour it into a litter bin where it will mix nicely with dry material ensuring that nothing in that bin can be recycled because nothing says 'environmental enforcement' quite like creating contamination on purpose.

This followed a £150.00 fine issued to Ms Yesilyurt for tipping the remains of her coffee into a roadside drain; a fine the Council has since cancelled, admitting her appeal would 'likely have succeeded'. 

Behind this absurdity lies something darker. Many councils now outsource 'environmental policing' to private enforcement firms whose success and payment often depend on the number and value of fines issued so it’s little wonder we’re seeing scattergun enforcement using legislation written to target industrial polluters being used against people with takeaway cups.

When profit becomes the driver of compliance, common sense tends to be the first casualty.

This overextension of environmental law is becoming all too common: legislation written to tackle commercial pollution (illegal deposit of waste on land not licensed to accept it) is now being used to police everyday behaviour. It’s not enforcement; it’s embarrassment and the councils perpetuating this culture of surveillance and overreach deserve to be named, challenged, and held to account. Link - Kafka - link - more like this (litter) - link - more like this (legislation) - link