RECORD numbers of Notts households are facing legal action for leaving wheelie bins in streets – with more than 2,400 warnings and 500 fines dished out in just seven months.
Nottingham City Council says areas with high student populations are among the worst hot spots.
Parts of the city that are home to economic migrants, where people may be used to a different culture or routine around rubbish, are also being blamed.
In the year from March 2012 to April 2013, the council's antisocial behaviour hotline received 272 complaints about the problem.
The authority's community protection officers have the power to issue "section 46" warnings to households and then £80 fines if these are ignored.
In the last seven months they have handed out 2,452 warnings and 508 fines.
This puts the authority on course to break its annual warnings record of 3,557.
Richard Antcliff, head of neighbourhood enforcement for community protection, said: "We do deal with a hardcore of people who just refuse to take their bin in.
"They are not respectful to their own property and not respectful to neighbours."
He said he understood why new students and other residents would need to get used to the idea but pointed out that, with information on university websites and letters sent to households, he felt repeat offenders had no excuse.
"People have eight hours before their bin collection and eight hours after it, but people get grace – perhaps a day before and after. But we still have people who leave them in the street 24 hours a day seven days a week and there we have a problem."
Overall, 2,248 fines have been handed out since April 2010 – totalling £179,840. The cash is ploughed back into street cleaning in Nottingham.
In a report on the issue to be discussed at a meeting today(Thurs), the council says it has begun a pilot scheme allowing students to sign up to get text alerts reminding them when to take out and collect bins.
Nottingham Trent University student Liam Bolland said he thought it was "quite harsh" for the authority to blame and fine students. Liam, 18, who lives in Basford, said: "When you move into a new city bins are the least of your worries.
"I'm really surprised the council can do that and by how many times they have done it, it seems quite a small issue.
"Bit if in some areas it is getting worse and worse, I can fully understand why they would fine some people for it."
But fellow Nottingham Trent student Jake Brigstock said students should expect no exceptions.
The 18-year-old, who lives in Sherwood, said: "I think it is fair for them to mention students – in houses there needs to be an authority figure who says 'someone needs to get it back in'.
"For first-time students it's almost like a new way of living and it's like escapism – putting the bin out to some is just something else that takes up time when they would rather be on the Xbox or something."
Barbara Piggott, 62, says bins left on the pavement are a constant problem where she lives in Birrell Road, Forest Fields. She suffers from arthritis and needs a mobility scooter to get around.
She said: "The council need to get tough.
"I went down the street on my scooter yesterday to go into town and there were bins in my way which I had to move.
"Some people just leave them out the whole week."
