Two men in England were convicted of illegally dumping excavation waste on a nearby farm in Northamptonshire.

The Environment Agency fined Richard Allen and David Thomas George Warden for the charge, according to a press release from the government agency. Both parties pleaded guilty to knowingly causing and depositing controlled waste in April 2024.

The men were caught after a farmer alerted authorities to mounds of waste that had taken over grazing fields for his sheep. Since it had rained in the area around that time, there were tire tracks that led back to the excavation site — a property owned by Allen's daughter and son-in-law.

The couple informed the authorities that Allen had obtained planning permission to build a house on the property and had hired Warden to complete the task. The father had also asserted that he had gained permission to dump the topsoil where it was found.

The permissions that occurred three years prior were never substantiated by Allen, and the owners deny that such an agreement was ever made.

Illegal waste dumping is a rampant issue in the United Kingdom, with over 37 million tons of waste generated each year, according to the British government. Not only does it cost the U.K. economy £1 billion ($1.35 billion) every year, but it's also performed on a wide scale, from households littering to organized crime networks.

FROM OUR PARTNER

Perk up the winter blues with natural, hemp-derived gummies

Camino's hemp-derived gummies naturally support balance and recovery without disrupting your routine, so you can enjoy reliable, consistent dosing without guesswork or habit-forming ingredients.

Flavors like sparkling pear for social events and tropical-burst for recovery deliver a sophisticated, elevated taste experience — and orchard peach for balance offers everyday support for managing stress while staying clear-headed and elevated.

Learn more →

When waste is dumped haphazardly, it can have significant ramifications for the area's ecosystem as well as the people and wildlife that inhabit it. Even in regulated sites like landfills, trash contributes to 20% of all methane air pollution from human-related sources, according to the United Nations Environment Programme.

A spokesperson from the Environment Agency said: "This case shows that operators in the waste sector should realize we will not tolerate illegal waste activities. We will take enforcement action to protect the environment, people, and legitimate businesses."

While trash will never realistically be out of the equation completely, disposing of it in regulated waste systems is crucial to limit contaminating natural ecosystems and waterways. When illegal dumping comes into the picture — as in this case — it takes time and money to undo the damage the waste causes.

Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools?

No way 🙅