Two U.K. business owners thought they'd cut corners when disposing of commercial waste. Now, they're cutting big checks as punishment.

The business owners — one a landscaper, one a roofer — recently received high fines and serious penalties for illegally dumping waste near a local river, farmland, and residential homes in Norfolk. The men admitted to dumping commercial and garden waste at a restricted site known as Clockcase Lane.

The U.K. Environment Agency reports the site had been under covert surveillance by CCTV and drone cameras since 2022 due to concerns about illegal dumping.

Landscaper Philip Moore was caught dumping wooden pallets and garden waste on two separate visits to Clockcase Lane in late 2022. The landscaper told officials he paid a third party £10 (about $12) per visit, claiming he believed the land was an authorized waste site. Moore was fined £600 (about $700), ordered to pay £2,000 (about $2,500) in related costs, and a £240 (about $280) victim surcharge.

Roofer Fred Harris drove more than 50 miles from Cambridgeshire to Norfolk to dump household waste at Clockcase Lane in early 2023. He admitted to paying £100 (about $120) for access to the land, claiming that he also thought the area was a legitimate waste site. Harris was sentenced to 100 hours of community service for his waste mismanagement — and was ordered to pay £1,000 (about $1,120) in related costs along with a £114 (about $135) victim surcharge.

Both men were found guilty under Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which prohibits dumping waste without proper permits.

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"Moore and Harris should have known better as local businessmen producing a lot of waste through their work," Phil Henderson, Environment Agency environment management team leader, said in a statement. "Both men were negligent in not checking the legality of Clockcase Lane as a waste site."

Illegal dumping isn't just an eyesore — it threatens both the environment and public health. Improperly disposing of waste can attract pests, pollute soil and waterways, and release toxic chemicals into the air. That's why proper, legal disposal of waste is essential to keep communities and ecosystems safe.

"Waste crime blights communities," Henderson said in the statement. "It harms the environment, having a devastating effect on rivers and wildlife. We continue to investigate Clockcase Lane."

While you can control what you do with your waste, you can't always stop others from mismanaging their own. If you spot illegal dumping in your area, report it to your local sanitation department — and be sure to follow up. Some communities report difficulty getting local officials to respond to illegal dumping concerns, but persistence can help hold officials accountable.

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At the community level, organizing local clean-ups can help make an impact — and foster a sense of neighborhood pride and collective responsibility. Advocating for improved waste infrastructure can also help drive lasting solutions.

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