Kenneth Colbecki, DOB 08/04/50, from Stenhousemuir, was today sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court to carry out 155 hours of community service after pleading guilty to illegally keeping and storing tens of thousands of waste tyres on his property in Airdrie, contrary to section 33(1)(v)(i) and section 33(1)(a) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Colbecki had pled guilty on 9 August 2012 to depositing controlled waste, specifically waste tyres, on his land, storing them there and baling them all without the authority of a waste management licence.
Colbecki also pled guilty to a contravention of the Environment Protection Act 1990, section 59(5) by failing to remove the tyres from the land when required to do so by SEPA. Sentence was deferred on that charge to 29 May 2013 for Colbecki to be of good behaviour and for a report on his performance of the community service.
The offences occurred between June 2009 and November 2010. Colbecki consistently refused to clear the site of around 35,000 tyres or to apply for a waste management licence.
Craig Harris, Head of the COPFS Wildlife and Environmental Unit said:
“Mr Colbecki sought to obtain considerable financial benefit by running a business with complete disregard to our environmental protection laws.
“The courts have made it clear that the laws designed to protect our environment must be taken seriously and that the penalties imposed on those who offend will be large enough to bring that message home.
“We will continue to work closely with SEPA to ensure that anyone who places our environment at risk and breaches the laws we have in place to protect it is brought to justice.”
The EPA maintains State Resource Locators and contact information for several topics: Air Quality – Ambient
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