A man in Belfast has been sentenced to nine months in prison for dumping 367 tonnes of unauthorised waste, including timber, plastics, and metal.
Thomas Coulter, 46, pleaded guilty to three charges related to the unauthorised deposit and keeping of controlled waste at two sites on the Crumlin Road, Belfast.
In June 2020, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) officials attended the Edenderry Industrial Estate and observed household waste being stored in a unit. A further visit to an adjacent site revealed that similar types of waste were deposited there as well.
Under caution, Coulter admitted that during COVID restrictions, he operated a waste collection service under the names A1 Recycling Ltd and Binit, collecting waste from residential and commercial premises and depositing the it at the two sites.
The sites were in residential neighbourhoods with no proper infrastructure or environmental safeguards in place.
This waste included black bin bag waste, timber, plastics, metals, mattresses, cardboard and food wrappings. Checks confirmed that no waste authorisations were in place to allow for the lawful depositing and keeping of waste on either of the two sites.
The NIEA subsequently remediated the site, removing 367 tonnes of waste to a site authorised to accept it, at the taxpayer’s expense.
A spokesperson from the Environmental Crime Unit of NIEA said the sentencing sends a ‘clear message that waste crime will not be tolerated’.
“The illegal handling and disposal of waste undermines legitimate businesses, damages the environment, and puts communities at risk,” the spokesperson continued.
“In this case, the defendant showed a blatant disregard for the law and for the harm caused by their actions.”