Man hit with severe penalties for harmful illegal dumping: 'Can combine to create combustible gases'

A Northern Irish man has been handed a suspended prison sentence and ordered to pay more than £100,000 ($135,800 USD) following a major environmental crime involving illegal waste dumping.

In a press release put out by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, it reported that an investigation commenced in 2017 "into the illegal disposal and keeping of controlled waste on lands under the control of Alan Chestnutt." The investigation uncovered hoards of household, commercial, and industrial waste.

Now, Chestnutt has six months to pay the Confiscation Order. If he fails to do so, he faces one year of imprisonment.

The impact of illegal dumping on the environment is extensive. Still, fly-tipping (the British term for illegal dumping) is pervasive. Some reports have estimated that in the U.S., 1.5 million tons of trash are illegally disposed of each year. Further, a whopping 100 million tons of trash are disposed of around the world each year.

Not only do they cost a hefty sum of taxpayer money to clean up, but they also create a slew of issues for water, air, and soil pollution. Illegal dumping contaminates food and water sources for wildlife and humans, meaning that dumping threatens the health and safety of a community, ecosystem health, and government expenditures that could be spent on proactive citizen support.

Texas Disposal System also wrote, "Illegal dumping can also be a fire hazard. Piles of trash and discarded chemicals can combine to create combustible gases and fuel for fires."

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To work on preventing fly-tipping, educate yourself and others on proper disposal methods. Further, reduce waste by opting for sustainable items to replace single-use plastics.

Chestnutt was sentenced for three offenses beyond just the Waste and Contaminated Land Order 1997. He was sentenced to prison on two counts and four months on a further count, running concurrently for three years.

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