A woman was left confused when she found a caution for a £75 fixed penalty notice on her wheelie bin.
Refuse collectors warned the mum-of-two she would be handed the fine if her bin was again found to have 'side waste.'
Famy Meyzineva said no extra bags were left at the side of the bin, outside her home in Flintshire, North Wales, and the lid was left just '5cm to 6cm' ajar, reports North Wales Live.
“Like it always is,” she added, “and like how everyone else on the street leaves their bins.”
When she shared her concerns on Facebook, others stepped forward with similar experiences.
Read more: Tesco announces more job cuts as it puts 1,400 roles at risk
One person said: “I also had one as the lid was an inch short of closing.
“Bet the Sticker Fairy had a busy day!”
Some claimed confusion over Flintshire Council’s enforcement of black bin 'side waste' was causing frustration and leading to mischief-making.
The policy also risked damaging the environment and was causing a spike in fly-tipping, they said.
Famy said her bin was full only because the council had failed to supply her with a separate 'nappy' box.
With a nine-month-old boy and a two-year-old girl, she applied for an orange nappy box last October.
Famy said: “We have four people in my family, with two babies still in nappies, so I fill my bin very quickly.
“I recycle everything, even plastic bread bags.
“I applied for a bin for nappies but I’ve still not heard anything from the council.”
Last September Flintshire Council re-introduced its side waste enforcement of curbside waste collections.
The policy, designed to encourage recycling, is aimed at serial offenders who 'continually leave extra bags of rubbish out for collection alongside the normal wheelie bins.'
Enforcement was suspended at the start of the Covid pandemic and, in the following 18 months, before it resumed, an extra 3,000 tonnes of landfill waste was collected from homes, compromising the council’s attempts to hit Welsh government recycling targets.
Council chiefs said fixed penalty notices are issued only as a last resort after residents have received a warning, followed by a Section 46 notice of intent to take action.
So far, just two penalties have been handed out in the county.
Flintshire Council clarified the definition of 'side waste' as 'additional bags or items of waste placed out for collection not presented in the correct containers provided by the authority.'
A spokesperson said: “Additional bags or items that are next to the wheelie bin, or wheelie bins that are overflowing and the lid cannot fully close, will not be collected.”
Residents responded to Famy’s Facebook post saying they too had received warnings because they misunderstood the meaning of 'side waste.'
One person said: “I called them up going mad because I thought side waste was rubbish from the side of the bin, but it’s not.”
Another replied: “Are you kidding me? If the lid is slightly open, they will not take it?”
Responding to Famy’s Facebook post, others said householders had a collective duty to reduce landfill by increasing their own recycling.
Done correctly, black bins should be able to accommodate the non-recyclable waste generated by most families, they said.
For families of six or more, larger black bins can be ordered from Flintshire Council.
The authority has also published suggestions for reducing waste through recycling.
A spokesperson apologised to Famy and husband Asin Meyzinev for delays in providing them with a nappy bin.
