A Filton resident and convenience store owner has been fined £462 after illegally disposing of business waste in a public bin on his street. Omar Mousin, who operates Filton International Stores on Filton Avenue, was prosecuted by South Gloucestershire Council for fly-tipping offences linked to his shop.
Mousin appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court on Monday, May 12, where he pleaded guilty. The court ordered him to pay a £269 fine, £85 court costs, and a £108 victim surcharge, totaling £462, according to the council.
The area around Filton Avenue has been a known hotspot for unlawful waste dumping. On December 24 and 26, 2023, CCTV footage captured a staff member taking rubbish from the store and dumping it in a public bin outside the premises.
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Following this, council environmental officers visited the store on January 15, 2024, and served Mousin with a notice under section 47 of the Environmental Protection Act. The notice required him to obtain and use appropriate waste containers and arrange for regular, proper commercial waste disposal.
The council emphasized that businesses must manage their own waste through a commercial contract, as their waste output exceeds household levels covered by council tax. Using public bins for business waste bypasses disposal fees and constitutes fly-tipping, a criminal offence.
In June 2024, enforcement officers conducted compliance checks at shops on Filton Avenue. Despite previous warnings, Filton International Stores still lacked a commercial waste contract. Further CCTV surveillance again showed staff illegally dumping waste in public bins, prompting the council to demand waste transfer records and proof of a waste contract covering 2023-2024.
During a voluntary interview in September at the council’s Yate offices, Mousin admitted he owned the store and employed two staff members. He acknowledged one employee was involved in the December incidents and confessed the business lacked a valid waste contract at the time. Mousin stated that after receiving the notice, he began sharing a waste bin with a neighboring kebab shop.
Accepting full responsibility for his duty of care failings, Mousin was unable to provide evidence of proper waste disposal, leading to the court summons.
Councillor Sean Rhodes, South Gloucestershire’s cabinet member for environmental enforcement, reiterated the legal obligation for businesses to manage waste responsibly. He condemned the use of public litter bins for commercial waste as unfair to taxpayers and applauded the enforcement action for protecting the environment and public spaces. “These prosecutions help keep our communities clean and safe, which are top priorities,” he said.