A businessman in England was sentenced to 22 weeks in prison and ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines for storing waste without a permit.
As the United Kingdom government reported, Treve Young kept the waste at a site near his business in Cornwall, despite several warnings from the Environment Agency.
After appearing at Plymouth Magistrates' Court in December, he pleaded guilty to operating an illegal waste-disposal site without permission and to failing to provide documentation of the waste.
The court suspended his sentence for 18 months, in which time he was ordered to complete 100 hours of volunteer work. Young also faced nearly £36,000 (almost $50,000) in fines, prosecution costs, and victim compensation.
While the Environment Agency allows over 6,500 tons of soil, stones, bricks, concrete, and other building materials at a site for construction under a waste exemption, Young had stockpiled nearly 30,000 tons of waste over nine years.
England has a major illegal dumping problem due to high disposal costs — which drive criminals to profit from it by charging much less than waste operators — inadequate enforcement, and difficulties catching criminals as they often operate in unmarked vans, according to the Anti Fly-Tipping Association.
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It's believed that nearly 40 million tons of waste are illegally managed in the U.K. every year, costing taxpayers and landowners over $1 billion in cleanup expenses, per the New York Times, which cited the House of Lords.
The trash is also a blight on the landscape and can pose a hazard to public health if it catches fire, attracts pests, or contains harmful chemicals.
Animals near these waste dumps may also ingest broken glass, construction materials, and small bits of plastic. In short, illegal dumping contaminates the environment, destroys habitats, and creates tons of pollution, and the public ends up paying the price.
Sharp Skips reported that the government has increased surveillance of these dumping sites with GPS technologies and motion-sensor cameras to catch illegal activity. The Environment Agency encourages citizens to report any waste crimes to its 24/7 hotline or to Crimestoppers.
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$200 or more 💰 "Waste criminals should be aware how seriously we take their offending, including the financial benefit they obtain from their illegal activities," a spokesperson with the agency said, per the U.K. government website.
"Offenders like Young simply won't get away with concealing information or their assets. Waste crime can be a blight on the environment, communities, and to legitimate businesses."
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