Man given prison sentence for illegally dumping 367 tonnes of waste

A man has been sentenced to nine months in prison for illegally dumping and storing 367 tonnes of waste at two sites close to residential areas.

Thomas Coulter, 46, of Alliance Court, Belfast, previously pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful storage of waste and one count of possession of unlawful waste.

He admitted collecting waste from homes and businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 before dumping it at two unlicensed sites on Crumlin Road.

The waste was then removed by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) at public expense.

Dumping created a stir Residents’ protests in 2020Locals said the mice and flies had become so bad that some people had abandoned their homes.

The waste was deposited at a unit on the Edenderry Industrial Estate and at a site next to a car wash on Crumlin Road.

‘It is a deliberate attack’

Coulter was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday to three concurrent nine-month prison sentences, one for each offence.

The court heard the illegal waste collection service was advertised on social media under the names A1 Recycling Ltd and Bin It Ltd.

Coulter admitted running an unlicensed waste collection business during the pandemic and charging customers between £20 and £30 for household waste to be collected.

Judge Philip Gilpin said the crime was “premeditated” and described the case as one of “high criminality”.

He said the dumping posed a “risk of harm” and was causing “upset and inconvenience” to nearby residents.

A spokesman for NIEA’s environmental crime unit said the penalty sent a clear message that “waste crime will not be tolerated”.

“Illegal processing and disposal of waste undermines legitimate businesses, harms the environment and puts communities at risk,” they said.

The spokesman added that NIEA will continue to pursue prison sentences for those involved in “significant waste offence”.