Imagine getting warnings from environmental officials — multiple warnings — about running an illegal dump on your own property and just ignoring them? That's what Martin Harvey did in Cornwall, England, according to a United Kingdom government press release. And it wasn't a small operation.

We're talking over 10,000 tons of trash piled up at his Shepherds Farm site — stuff like construction debris, household junk, and even dangerous asbestos.

Harvey apparently used this garbage, asbestos included, to fill in a wooded valley and a stream on his land. He just trashed it, seemingly to flatten the area for building projects he didn't even have permits for. Officials told him repeatedly to stop between February and July 2023. He didn't. They even caught him burning tires in a makeshift incinerator.

You'd think facing consequences would lead to a change in behavior. Harvey pleaded guilty to four offenses. However, his sentence was only three months and was suspended. Thankfully, the courts used the Proceeds of Crime Act to order him to pay back the £72,500 ($94,650) he made from this mess or face actual jail time, plus over £16,600 ($21,665) in costs.

This kind of illegal dumping, called fly-tipping in the U.K., is infuriatingly common. A Parliament report found over 1.15 million cases were dealt with by English authorities in just one year. It makes beautiful places ugly and dangerous. Research shows these dumps poison soil and water, kill native plants, and let invasive species run wild.

Harvey's story is bad, but it's not unique. Remember the Australian official caught dumping asbestos near a river? Or the man fined over $1,000 for turning his own front yard into a landfill for old fridges? Sometimes it's just pure laziness, like the Florida man caught trashing woods right near recycling facilities. It's a blatant disregard for everyone else and the planet.

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As Sally Turberville of the Environment Agency put it, "waste crime can be a blight on the environment, communities, and to legitimate businesses." We need authorities to keep cracking down, and maybe those penalties need more bite than a suspended sentence. Reporting this behavior when you see it helps, too.

People commenting on Facebook clearly felt the frustration. One user wrote: "This is all over Cornwall! This is just one you heard about!"

Another shared a common sentiment: "Good. Shame his sentence was suspended."

And someone else added: "Loads of this goes on in Cornwall there is a site near me."