Mark John Gibson, of Windmill, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to seven charges brought by Environment Agency Wales, and was sentenced to two months imprisonment for each charge, to run concurrently. A second man, David Gareth Cooper, also of Windmill, pleaded guilty to one charge of fly-tipping, for which he was sentenced to six months on a community rehabilitation order, and £100 costs.
Gibson had been operating two fraudulent waste disposal companies, M&M Rubbish Removals, and Trees Environmental Contractors, and had charged customers up to £170 each time for the proper disposal of their rubbish. Instead, the waste had been left in piles in several places along quiet country roads, from which the Environment Agency were able to trace items of rubbish back to the customers. On one occasion, Gibson and Cooper were observed tipping waste in the Garw Valley Reclamation Scheme, following which Gibson was arrested. The rubbish tipped at that site later cost Bridgend County Council £400 to clear up.
“Disreputable waste disposal operators have no respect for the environment or their fellow citizens in their pursuit of easy money,” said Huw Davis, an Environment Protection Team Leader with the Agency’s South West Wales area. “I would ask members of the public to be vigilant when arranging for their waste to be cleared. Reputable companies will be registered as Waste Carriers with Environment Agency Wales, and will provide the customer with a Waste Transfer Note showing this registration number. This is a legal requirement, and only registered operators are permitted to take waste into a properly licensed waste disposal site. Anyone else may be intending to fly-tip the rubbish you give them.”
The Environment Agency urges anyone with any information regarding unlawful waste operators to contact their freephone number, on 0800 807060.