Serial Tyre Dumper Faces Prison

The illegal tyre dumper who received Scotland’s first environmental antisocial behaviour order last year has found himself in trouble again….and this time he may be headed to prison to atone for his deeds.

On April 23 Joseph Abate had guilty pleas lodged in his absence to illegally dumping hundreds of used car tyres. Abate was charged with disposing of tyres without a licence at a number of sites in the Glasgow area between November 2004 and March 2006.

Abate, a former Glasgow City Council employee, was convicted on similar charges last year. During those court proceedings he was described as a serial offender who caused “immense environmental damage.” This time around he faces up to six months in prison or a £20,000 fine.

Following his non-appearance at Glasgow Sheriff Court on the morning of April 23, Abate attended Airdrie Sheriff Court in the afternoon to face three charges of illegally dumping tyres in the east end of Glasgow during the summer of 2005. However the Crown witness was not present and, owing to the fact this particular case was almost two years old, the prosecution let the case go.

At one time Abate held a Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) licence permitting him to carry waste. However this licence was revoked following a case at Glasgow Sheriff Court in January 2006, for which Abate was fined £1500 for dumping tyres. This made it not only illegal for Abate to continue his tyre disposal business, but also a crime for garage owners to use his services.

In March 2007 Abate was fined £750 at Paisley Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to dumping more than 100 tyres on land adjacent to a farm access road in Renfrewshire, and in a separate move North Lanarkshire Council has applied for a second environmental antisocial behaviour order to be served on Abate.

Officials from Abate’s former employer, Glasgow City Council, contributed to the most recent case by reporting on his illegal dumping. Tommy McDonald, assistant director of land and environmental services, said: “I hope this sends a strong message to businesses across the city who haven’t taken steps to arrange for the disposal of their waste properly….our staff are watching, so we advise you to make proper arrangements as soon as you can before you, too, end in court.”