Mucky pup! Man fined after 'training dog to dump rubbish' in bid to dodge fly-tipping cameras
Police say the pet was trained to drop a waste bag on a roadside in Sicily and warn "inventiveness can never become an alibi for incivility"
A man in Sicily has been fined after officers say he tried to outsmart anti-fly-tipping surveillance by getting his dog to do the dumping for him.
Listen to this article
Officials in Catania shared CCTV clips of a small dog carrying a bin bag along Via Pulacara in the San Giorgio district before placing it down at the edge of the road.
They said they suspect the pet had been taught the routine so its owner would not be caught on camera.
Police condemned what they called conduct that was “as cunning as it is doubly wrong” - arguing it harms the city while also attempting to get around enforcement by using an unsuspecting pet.
In a pointed message, they said: “Respect for urban decorum and the environment is a duty for all.”
They also warned that “inventiveness can never become an alibi for incivility”.
Read More: Driver pleads guilty to killing father-of-two as he walked his dog
The man involved has reportedly been identified and issued with a fine.
This come samid continued concerns about illegal dumping across Italy, particularly in the south, where authorities say it brings serious environmental damage and financial cost.
Figures for 2023 recorded more than 9,300 waste-related offences, up 66% compared with the previous year.
To clamp down on fly-tipping and the misuse of recycling points, councils have been increasing the use of surveillance cameras, wildlife-style “camera traps” and smart monitoring systems - with penalties often based on video evidence.
In Palermo, hundreds of cameras and traps have been deployed city-wide, and officials say footage accounts for 93% of fines issued for illegal dumping.
Under Italian law, abandoning waste without authorisation can lead to fines between €1,500 and €18,000, and in some cases criminal proceedings.