A Nottinghamshire volunteer has been slapped with a £150 fine for leaving a kale leaf in a supermarket trolley.
A 42-year-old who spends her time rescuing surplus groceries for redistribution to vulnerable families found herself handed a penalty notice after the roughage was discovered.
Monica Serro had been gathering food destined for waste through the Olio community-sharing network when an enforcement officer confronted her in a Sainsbury’s car park in Arnold, Nottinghamshire.
Labour-run Gedling Borough Council later withdrew the fine and issued an apology, acknowledging the incident did not constitute deliberate littering.
Ms Serro and her mother arrived at the supermarket to collect surplus produce, including loose vegetables and bread, for free distribution to local residents.
However, torrential rain forced them to load the items directly into their vehicle.
Then, upon returning the trolley, an enforcement officer approached Ms Serro, initially claiming she had left packaging behind.
When she explained the item was merely a kale leaf stuck in the trolley frame, the officer maintained it amounted to food waste and handed the penalty to the woman.
‘I was stunned,’ the 42-year-old woman said
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“I was stunned,” Ms Serro said. “You’re trying to reduce food waste, then you get told you’re adding to it.
“I didn’t notice it was on the trolley. My mum told him I was a volunteer collecting food for the community. He said if I refused to provide my details he would increase the fine,” Ms Serro added.
“I didn’t want to argue any more – my mum was getting really upset with the whole situation. He gave me the fine and took the kale leaf and gave it to me.”
The paperwork compounded her bewilderment by describing the offence as discarding a cigarette end, after which the council blamed a “technical error” and apologised.
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The council apologised and revoked the fine
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A spokesman for Gedling borough council said: “We have investigated the incident, and agree that it was not a deliberate act of littering.
“The fixed penalty notice issued by our contracted environmental enforcement agents was cancelled and the recipient was contacted on the June 13 to confirm this.
“We apologise for any distress caused.”
Gedling borough council employs Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement to conduct litter and environmental enforcement across the area.
The contractual arrangement lets the private company retain a staggering 89.5 per cent of all revenue generated from fixed penalty notices, with the council receiving the remaining share.
Ministers have vowed to address these concerns through new guidance issued to local councils.
The proposed changes would argue that private firms should not increase their revenue or profits merely by issuing more penalties, and that environmental enforcement must not become an exercise in “revenue-raising”.
However, campaigners have warned that the guidance would be inadquate to tackle the mounting issue.
Research conducted by the Manifesto Club revealed that England recorded more than 25,000 environmental fixed penalty notices during 2025, the highest figure on record.
The group’s analysis found that 31 councils using private enforcement firms issued 19,214 notices, while 251 councils relying on in-house staff issued just 6,152.
Residents living in areas with private contractors were calculated to be 25 times more likely to receive a penalty notice on average.
“If private companies profit from every ticket they issue, there is an obvious risk that enforcement becomes focused on generating income rather than tackling genuine environmental problems,” the campaign group warned.