Council threats residents with $312 fine for common bin act

Aussies could cop a whopping $312 fine for leaving their bins out for too long.

Warnings and fines are being dished out to homes in areas of Adelaide for those who fail to collect their bins from the footpath within a certain time frame.

Under Port Adelaide Enfield Council’s waste management by-laws, bins are to be placed out after 4pm the night before rubbish collection and must be taken by midnight the day after collection.

But the council said it has only issued four fines over the last five years.

The hefty penalty has left some residents shocked, with one local taking to Reddit this week to share their grievances after receiving a “final warning” letter from council, stating it had received a complaint over their bins.

The resident said the over $300 penalty was “absurd”.

“How is ‘$312’ justified for leaving a bin out too long on a quiet back road,” they wrote in the post.

Council said the resident was not fined.

Another local, Hadi Jafari, from Kilburn, said he was “really surprised” to hear of the cost.

“$300 for a fine is really hard for people to afford, it is really a lot of money,” he told The Advertiser.

Mr Jafari said his family would struggle to pay the amount if they were fined over the common act.

“We would probably have to repay it over time, I don’t think we could pay it at once so that is not good.”

Port Adelaide Enfield Council said residents first receive a reminder letter are their bins are reported to council.

“However as a final resort expiations may be issued,” council said in a statement.

The council said it receives 200 complaints annually in relations to bins on streets, however, it is not known how many warning letters have been issued.

“The City of PAE empties over 4.8 million bins every year and the majority of residents remove their bins from footpaths after collection,” it said in a statement.

“In the past five years, the City of PAE has only issued four fines for bins not being removed after multiple warnings, that’s just four fines out of 24 million bin pick-ups over those five years.”

Port Adelaide Enfield Council noted other councils also have bylaws in place regarding bin collection.

“This is because when people do not remove their bins from footpaths, it can result in impediments to people being able to use the footpath for walking, people with prams, people in wheelchairs, incorrect use of bins and contamination, and it can also impact vehicle and emergency access on streets.”