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The First Recycling Martyr
The First Recycling MartyrA single scrap of paper in a bag for glass and tinsturned a young man into a criminal |
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| 1 | 28-year-old Michael Reeves has | for the | |||||
| become Britain’s first recycling martyr | environment | ||||||
| after a court fined him £200 for | but I couldn’t | ||||||
| disobeying rules about sorting out | care less | ||||||
| rubbish. He had volunteered to take | now.” | ||||||
| part in a recycling project organised by | 5 | He said his first mistake was to put | |||||
| Swansea Council. But somehow a | his rubbish out a day early, but only | ||||||
| single piece of junk mail found its way | because he was going on holiday the | ||||||
| into a bag which was meant for other | next day. It was met with a warning | ||||||
| rubbish. And when council workers | that any further slip-ups would result in | ||||||
| found his name and address on it, they | legal actions. “Duly warned I carried on | ||||||
| prosecuted. | separating the rubbish,” he said. Then | ||||||
| 2 | The case caused widespread | came the summons1) accusing him of | |||||
| anger. Even Friends of the Earth said | violating the order. “I was shocked and | ||||||
| that Mr Reeves’ case could ‘put people | had no idea what to do,” he said. “At | ||||||
| off recycling’ - and that’s bad news. | one point I even thought I would end | ||||||
| Moreover millions of householders are | up in jail. The irony is that I would have | ||||||
| already struggling to make sense of | been better off not recycling at all, just | ||||||
| confusing rules concerning disposal of | loading everything in a single rubbish | ||||||
| their rubbish. | bag. But like most people I supported | ||||||
| 3 | Mr Reeves told The Mail on | the principle and was happy to play my | |||||
| Sunday: “I now have a criminal record | part.” | ||||||
| and it will be a burden to me. I will | 6 | A Swansea council spokesman | |||||
| have to explain myself every time | said: “It is very rare for us to take this | ||||||
| I apply for a new job. And if I want to | line but it is unfortunate that Mr | ||||||
| go to the United States I will have to | Reeves didn’t contact us at any point. | ||||||
| apply for a special entry visa for the | When he didn’t respond to a second | ||||||
| rest of my life. | enforcement notice over his | ||||||
| 4 | I am not a violent man or a | contaminated rubbish, we had no | |||||
| drunkard. I have not held up a bank. | option but to issue summons. It was | ||||||
| I have not committed fraud. But when | dealt with in the magistrate court which | ||||||
| I allowed a single piece of junk mail to | means Mr Reeves now has a criminal | ||||||
| appear in the wrong sort of recycling | record.” | ||||||
| bag I found myself committing a crime. | 7 | Mr Reeves no longer bothers with | |||||
| It was not me who put the letter in the | recycling. Paper, cans, plastic | ||||||
| recycling bag. It was not even my bag. | wrappers, they all go straight into the | ||||||
| Yet the presence of my address | black bag. It’s not a very noble attitude | ||||||
| between the cans and bottles was | but recycling has made him into a | ||||||
| enough for the court to find me guilty. | criminal, he explains. | ||||||
| I have always been happy to do my bit | |||||||