Four small Newfoundland communities were handed the minimum fine Friday for refusing to shut down their local landfills and truck their garbage to a superdump.

The village of St. Patricks was fined $500, while it cost King's Point, Little Bay and Beachside $1,000 each.

In a Grand Falls-Windsor courtroom, Judge R.J. Whiffen had found each of them guilty of breaking a ministerial order.

It's a problem every community in the province will soon face: how to pay the costs of shipping their waste to a superdump.

The four villages that were fined were among the first ordered to close their local dumps and send their garbage to a big dump at South Brook.

They refused, saying they couldn't afford the costs.

That's when the province took them to court.

Whiffen acknowledged that it will be hard for the towns to come up with enough money even for the fines.

But, he said, he couldn't give them a discharge, because that would have given the impression that it's okay to break a ministerial order.

Lawyer Averil Baker, who is defending the communities, said she's disappointed by the judge's ruling.

She said she's still baffled that the province would take the four small towns to court.

She said she'll consult with them to see if they want to appeal the ruling.