Court fine for waste mismanagement gives Ilford fruit and veg store food for thought

An Ilford fruit and vegetable shop that repeatedly left its rubbish piled up at the front of the store has been successfully prosecuted by Redbridge Council.

Nittyo Bazaar Ltd was ordered to pay nearly £1400 in court fines and costs for failing to store its commercial waste properly.

The High Road, Ilford, based business landed on the council’s radar after the London Fire Brigade flagged concerns over how the shop was storing its commercial waste.

Following up on the red flag, a Redbridge Council Enforcement Officer paid the store a visit and discovered large amounts of commercial waste sitting outside the shop, near a fire exit.

Among the piles of rubbish was loose cardboard, large pallets, and plastic and wooden boxes - all belonging to Nittyo Bazaar Ltd.  

The shop was swiftly issued a legal notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, specifying conditions for the storage and management of its commercial waste.

Despite being legally ordered to store its rubbish properly, compliance checks on the shop found Nittyo Bazaar Ltd repeatedly breaching the waste storage conditions placed on the business.

On one return visit, the Enforcement Officer found a broken chiller cabinet belonging to the shop dumped on the store forecourt.

The shop’s continued failure to store its commercial waste properly led to a series of fixed penalty notices, which remained unpaid despite the council sending reminder letters.

Nittyo Bazaar Ltd was subsequently summonsed to appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court, on Tuesday 18 February, charged with five offences of failing to comply with an Environmental Protection Act waste management notice.

Prior to the hearing, the company wrote to the court and entered a ‘guilty’ plea to one charge, having made late payment to the council for four fixed penalty notices, which were accepted. The magistrates sentenced Nittyo Bazaar Ltd to a fine, along with

court and council costs – all totalling £1,395.

Redbridge Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety, Cllr Khayer Chowdhury, said: “We all have a responsibility to keep our borough clean and tidy, and this includes businesses. The failure to correctly store commercial waste presents a threat to the environment and public health, as well as being an eyesore for local communities. The majority of our local businesses act responsibly and store their commercial waste properly. But for those who aren’t doing so, this prosecution should serve as a strong warning that Redbridge Council will continue taking tough action against those businesses who refuse to act responsibly and legally when disposing of their waste.”

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