Adam David Orsler from Solihull, West Midlands appeared before Birmingham Magistrates Court this week, for illegally dumping 26 tonnes of general household waste on disused land in Smethwick Birmingham, on 10 July 2016. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order and he is required to complete 220 hours of unpaid work.
He is also required to pay compensation to the land owner of £2,974, in addition to £2,000 prosecution costs and victim surcharge of £85.
Earlier this year, Mr Orsler entered a guilty plea to the charge of unlawfully depositing the waste. He then failed to attend the subsequent hearing, where the Magistrates found that he had committed the offence deliberately and with a flagrant disregard for the law. The illegal waste deposit had an adverse impact on the amenity value of the area and the defendant benefited financially.
“This successful outcome shows that the courts take such incidents actions very seriously. In this case, the defendant showed a total disregard for the law as it would have been obvious to him that the site where he tipped the waste, was not a legitimate one.”
The Environment Agency investigated the incident after a local business owner photographed the defendant depositing the waste. When Environment Agency officers interviewed Mr Orsler, he admitted that he was paid £650 to collect the waste from a site in Dudley, but he received no formal paperwork.
In sentencing Mr Orsler, the Judge took into consideration the absence of any similar previous convictions and Mr Orsler’s personal circumstances.
An Environment Agency Officer in charge of the investigation said: “Waste crime is serious offence as it can damage the environment, blight local communities and undermine those who operate illegally.
“This successful outcome shows that the courts take such incidents actions very seriously. In this case, the defendant showed a total disregard for the law as it would have been obvious to him that the site where he tipped the waste, was not a legitimate one.”