Mother in tears after £11,500 battery waste fine

A mother says penalties for binning batteries should be clearer after being handed a "soul-destroying" £11,500 fine.

Krystal Ogier said she accidentally threw away 23 AA batteries – which were inside children's toys – when her family were moving house in Guernsey.

She was left in tears when the private refuse firm she was using, Island Waste, told her there was a £500 penalty per battery. Even though the fine has been reduced to £1,000, Ogier said the cost would have an impact.

Island Waste said it heavily promoted the safe disposal of batteries due to fires they can cause and had worked with Ogier to accommodate payment of the fine.

Ogier said she knew batteries were not allowed to be thrown away in the one-tonne waste bag she had ordered online.

But she said that it did not occur to her that she was doing so because the batteries were in the toys.

She said that while she accepted it was her fault, she was left "worried sick" when told about the fine.

"My head exploded, I was sobbing on the phone," Ogier said.

The mother said she understood why Island Waste had its fine system but felt the rates were "extortionate".

She said she felt the company should have something in "big red writing" explaining about the fines when customers pay for services online.

Ogier added: "The reason we moved out of the property was because it was getting so expensive.

"So when you get that added cost on top, it's soul-destroying."

Faye Grime, Island Waste's director, said the firm had bold messaging online highlighting the safe disposal of batteries and a box customers must tick to declare they had checked items.

Grime said Ogier had ticked this box and accepted the firm's waste acceptance criteria, which stated the fine amount.

"The consequences of a battery fire can be catastrophic for a waste site, rapidly spreading and causing risk of injury to people, damage to property and the environment," Grime added.

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