A circuit court judge slashed a littering fine against a widow who left tin cans in a bag at a recycling bank because it was already full to the brim.
‘I thought I was doing the right thing by recycling at this site,’ the woman told the Circuit Court in Portlaoise today.
She said she could not put the empty cans into the roadside recycling bank because it was already full to the brim.
‘The can one was full and there were bags left there already, so I presumed if I left them there they would be picked up,’ she added.
She first learned of her conviction in the district court conviction was when she received a letter in the post telling her she was fined €750.
When she contacted An Post, she was shown a copy of their file saying the registered letter telling her about the court appearance was delivered to her, but the letter was not signed for.
The woman, who’s youngest child is 11, said her only income was her widow’s pension and she could not afford a €750 fine.
Judge Anthony Kennedy reduced the littering fine from €750 to just €75.
