Business Owner Says She was Fined £1,000 for Trying to Recycle

Carmen Parfenie put cardboard into bins at housing estate

Carmen Parfenie was visited at her Brentford shop by two enforcement officers

October 31, 2025

A Brentford business owner says she was fined £1,000 by Hounslow Council after placing a flattened cardboard box in a recycling bin at a nearby housing estate — an act she believed was responsible environmental behaviour.

Carmen Parfenie, who runs Yarn By The Water on Brentford High Street, said she placed the box in an almost empty cardboard recycling bin at the Albany Road/Berkeley House estate, just a few minutes’ walk from her shop. She was shocked to receive a visit on 2 September from two council officers who served her with a fixed penalty notice under the Environmental Protection Act.

She said, “They did not disclose the purpose of their visit when they arrived which again I find irregular, and they asked me a lot of leading questions which I have candidly answered as I do not have anything to hide and everything I did was in good faith.”

She told them that her tenancy gave her access to a waste bin and her landlord has a waste disposal contract but she says that they accused her of not having proper waste disposal arrangements and that she could be liable for an additional £600 fine.

Ms Parfenie continued, “I thought that putting a cardboard box inside a cardboard recycling bin in the borough where I pay council tax was an environmentally responsible thing to do,” she said. “There was no sign to say the bins were for residents only, and there was plenty of space left.”

Ms Parfenie said the visit felt “intimidating” and that officers refused to consider her explanation. She also questioned the proportionality of the fine, which can legally range from £150 to £1,000.

“The punishment should fit the crime,” she said. “Instead, the council has chosen the maximum possible penalty for something that caused no harm and was done in good faith.”

She says she is appealing the fine, but has so far been unsuccessful.

Hounslow Council, like many London boroughs, sharply increased its penalties for waste and fly-tipping offences earlier this year, with the maximum fine now set at £1,000 in an effort to deter illegal dumping.

However, Ms Parfenie’s case is one of several recent complaints suggesting that enforcement may be catching out residents and small business owners for what they believe are minor or unintentional infractions. She says a neighbour told her she had paid a fine of £1,000 after cardboard she claims she left outside her home for regular collection was found at another location. Similar reports have been made in neighbouring boroughs since the fine increases took effect.

Critics argue that the policy risks targeting those who are trying to recycle responsibly rather than deterring large-scale fly-tipping.

Hounslow recorded more than 27,000 fly-tipping incidents over the past year, among the highest in London. According to data cited by councillors, the council spent around £370,000 clearing up dumped rubbish, yet the overall number of incidents remains high

Opposition leader Cllr Peter Thompson said, “£1,000 fines for ‘trying to recycle’ miss the point – we need common-sense action on fly-tipping,” he said. “When residents see dumped rubbish at the end of their street, it changes how they feel about where they live. People want the council to focus on major offenders, not ordinary residents trying to do the right thing.”

Ms Parfenie, who has lived in Brentford since 2011 and serves as a local school governor, says her small business was founded on principles of sustainability. She described the experience as “emotionally distressing” and said it has affected both her health and her livelihood.

“My business generates very little waste,” she said. “I don’t own a car, and I thought I was doing something positive by recycling properly. Instead, I’ve been treated like a criminal.”

Hounslow Council has rejected Ms Parfenie’s appeal after the case was looked into and it was concluded internally that the officers acted proportionately, fairly and professionally and that the Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) was lawfully issued. The council says that under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 businesses have a duty to ensure that their waste is transferred and disposed of by an authorised waste carrier.

Councillor Pritam Grewal, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Customer Experience and Enforcement, said,“As well as making our streets look neglected, at £124 per tonne to dispose of the waste (not including collection), fly-tipping means Hounslow Council taxpayers have to pay around £370,000 every year to keep the streets clear of litter. This is money which could be far better spent on vital local services.

"As a council, we are committing to delivering value for money for our residents, protecting the local environment and taking a zero-tolerance approach to fly-tippers."