Waterford City and County Council has secured a prosecution against two bogus waste collectors.
The men had been illegally collecting people's waste and then burning it on lands near Clonmel.
It was first reported in July of 2020.
Senior Executive Engineer with the council, Niall Kane has told WLR News that it is a serious offence:
"They were advertising on social media to collect waste and they were just bringing it out to this place and burning it.
"Burning causes a significant amount of environmental pollution. Burning at low temperatures can create dioxins, which persist in the environment and cause cancer so, it's not a pleasant thing to do.
"The judge did recognise the seriousness of it and the two gentlemen were sentenced to four months in jail, suspended for 18 months, plus a €1,000 fine."
This isn't the first time prosecutions like this have been brought against unauthorised waste collectors and Mr Kane says it's very important that people know their collectors are licenced:
"Someone who is collecting waste is required to have a waste collection permit and then they are required to bring it to an authorised site for proper disposal.
"It's an offence for someone to give their waste to someone who doesn't have a waste collection permit.
"So, you should always check to be sure if you're getting someone to collect your waste - use a company that has a waste collection permit. They should have their name and permit number on the side of their vehicle. It will be a number starting with NWCPO, which stands for National Waste Collection Permit Office.
"You can check to make sure they are legit."
The men in question appeared before a sitting of Clonmel District Court on Tuesday, April 5th.
In sentencing, Judge O’Shea described the activity as "abhorrent" and said that without the mitigation of the guilty plea, the offence would have warranted "an immediate custodial sentence".
