KILDARE: Jail term for ex operator of Naas landfill site "sends out strong warning" - EPA

A prison sentence for the former operator of a landfill site in Naas "sends a powerful warning" that those engaging in criminal activity which puts the environment and public health at risk will be held to account, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has said.

The former director of Neiphin Trading Limited, operators of a waste facility in Kerdiffstown, Co Kildare, was sentenced to three years in prison on each of three charges for serious environmental offences.

The sentences will run concurrently with the final 12 months suspended.

The offences, the subject of the convictions, included breaches of an (Environmental Protection Agency) EPA Waste Licence by the holding or recovering of waste at the waste facility in a manner likely to cause environmental pollution. 

Commenting on the outcome of the trial, the Director of the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement, Dr Tom Ryan, said:

“Waste crime can cause harm to the environment and public health and have significant consequences for the taxpayer.

"This conviction is a vindication of the resilient efforts of the State authorities working together for the public good over almost two decades.

"It sends a powerful warning to companies and their directors – those engaging in criminal activity which puts the environment and public health at risk will be held to account.”

"The EPA wishes to thank all of the many people that have been involved in this case and associated investigation over almost two decades.