Residents are being reminded that leaving anything by recycling banks is fly-tipping, after a man was fined for dumping rubbish on the floor at Brighton Hill Recycling Centre.  

Aakash Rathi of St Leonards, Ringwood was prosecuted by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and appeared in Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Friday 30 October. Mr Rathi was ordered to pay over £1,700 for depositing cardboard boxes, a Moses basket and a buggy beside the recycling banks.  

The incident was captured on CCTV on the afternoon of Tuesday 23 September 2025. Following the incident, a cardboard box with an address label for Mr Rathi was discovered. 

Mr Rathi pleaded guilty to a fly-tipping offence and the magistrates' court ordered him to pay a fine of £461, a victim surcharge of £184 and compensation and clear up costs of £1,063.24. 

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents’ Services and Housing Cllr Laura James 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.” 

Residents can find an A to Z list of what can be recycled in the borough at basingstoke.gov.uk/a-z-recycle.