A Ringwood man must pay £1,708.24 after leaving a buggy, a Moses basket and boxes by the Brighton Hill recycling banks. He pleaded guilty on 30 October.

A man who left a buggy, a Moses basket and cardboard boxes on the ground by the recycling banks at Brighton Hill has been ordered to pay £1,708.24 after pleading guilty to fly-tipping.

Aakash Rathi, of St Leonards, Ringwood, appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Friday 30 October in a prosecution brought by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, the council said on 5 November.

How the council traced him

The council says CCTV caught the rubbish being left at Brighton Hill Recycling Centre on the afternoon of Tuesday 23 September 2025. Afterwards, a cardboard box with an address label for Mr Rathi was found among it.

That is more than a year between the dumping and the court hearing.

What the court ordered

Mr Rathi pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence. The magistrates ordered him to pay:

  • a fine of £461
  • a victim surcharge of £184
  • compensation and clear-up costs of £1,063.24

That comes to £1,708.24, which the council rounds to “over £1,700”.

“Not just a place to dump their waste”

The council’s point is that anything left beside a recycling bank counts as fly-tipping, even if it sits right next to the bins.

Cllr Laura James, the Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing, said: “This is a clear reminder that residents must ensure they are using the recycling banks correctly and not just using them as a place to dump their waste irresponsibly, as failing to do so could leave them facing a criminal record.

“Fly-tipping has a huge effect on our communities, and the time and public money spent clearing up fly-tipped waste takes valuable resources away from other vital frontline services, impacting everyone.”

If the bank will not take it

Buggies, baby baskets and big boxes are not what the banks are for. The council keeps an A to Z of what can be recycled in the borough, item by item.

Our bin collection days page lists the council’s six recycling sites and what their banks take, and our tip opening times page covers the Wade Road tip, which needs a booking before you go.