A 46-year-old Belfast man has been sentenced to nine months in prison for repeatedly breaking waste management laws, following a prosecution by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).

Thomas Coulter, of Alliance Court in Belfast, admitted three charges under the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 at Laganside Crown Court on 25 June 2026. His sentence relates to the unauthorised deposit and keeping of controlled waste at two premises on the Crumlin Road.

NIEA officers first visited a unit in the Edenderry Industrial Estate on the Crumlin Road on 16 June 2020, where they discovered household waste being stored inside. A follow-up inspection on 17 July at a nearby site beside a car wash revealed similar material, including black bin bags, timber, plastics, metals, mattresses, cardboard and food wrappers.

Investigators confirmed that neither site had the necessary waste management authorisations. Under caution, Coulter told officials that during Covid-19 restrictions he ran a waste collection service under the names A1 Recycling Ltd and Binit, picking up waste from homes and businesses and depositing it at the two locations. The sites were in residential areas and lacked any environmental safeguards.

The NIEA later cleaned up both locations, removing 367 tonnes of waste and transporting it to a licensed facility. The cost of this remediation was borne by the public purse.

A departmental spokesperson said the outcome underlines that waste crime carries serious consequences, noting that such illegal activity harms the environment, undercuts legitimate businesses and places communities at risk. The agency said it would continue to pursue custodial sentences for significant waste criminality.

Two further charges were left on the books, meaning they can be reactivated later with leave of the court.