A Crossmaglen man who buried 3,696 tonnes of illegal waste which was actively polluting the land and cost £130,000 to remediate has been spared prison.
Eugene McEntee, of Drummuckavall Road, was sentenced today at Newry Crown Court for breaches of waste legislation.
The 53-year-old was given 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years for these waste offences. The offences related to the unauthorised keeping of controlled waste at the site on the Alley Road, Crossmaglen, controlled by McEntee.
A number of similar charges have been left on the books relating to the offending.
Officers of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) visited a site located at Alley Road, Crossmaglen in November 2019 where they uncovered significant quantities of buried waste.
The mixed waste included such items as glass, food packaging, plastic, timber, metals and carpet together with other waste associated with waste treatment facilities called Trommel Fines.
The Trommel Fines consisted of small pieces of waste such as metals, plastics, glass, textiles, glass and ceramics. Samples taken from this waste showed that it was actively polluting the land. The site did not have a license from the NIEA to keep or treat controlled waste.
In 2024, the site was remediated. This involved the excavation, treatment and removal of the polluting waste from the site. Information provided by the defendant showed that approximately 3,696 tonnes of waste was removed from the site and disposed of at an authorised facility. The costs of the remediation were in exceedance of £130,000.
An NIEA spokesperson said: “This represents a significant positive outcome insofar as the law has been upheld and a conviction secured. However, importantly, the polluting waste has also been removed at the expense of the defendant. This means that the environment has been protected without significant cost to the taxpayer.”
McEntee pleaded guilty to two waste charges under The Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order.
