Illegal dumping warning after 15 prosecuted in past year

Dump rubbish illegally and expect to wear a fine.

That’s the message from Council after 15 people were fined for illegal dumping during the 2016/17 financial year.

Waste Coordinator Ian Florence said Council netted 11 more culprits than in the previous year, with advanced surveillance and increased patrols helping to nab offenders.

“As well as being unsightly, dumped rubbish costs ratepayers thousands of dollars annually in removal expenses. Plus, dumped rubbish may harm the environment,” Mr Florence says.

“For example, asbestos illegally dumped near Walter Hay Drive last year cost Council more than $15,000 in removal and site remediation costs.

“On-the-spot fines for illegal dumping start at $2,018 and, if prosecuted in court, the penalty can be as high as $126,150. So by comparison, the cost of disposing of an item responsibly at the landfill is very small,” Mr Florence said.

Council offers the annual kerbside rubbish collection, so residents can dispose of a range of items, including old whitegoods, furniture and electronic equipment, for free.

“At other times residents can dispose of bulky rubbish for a low cost at Council’s Resource and Recovery Centres,” Mr Florence said.  Many pre-sorted items that are recyclable can be disposed of for free.

This year Council collected 1172 tonnes of material during the annual kerbside collection.

“Of that, we recycled more than 230 tonnes of metal, 35 tonnes of timber and 31 tonnes of e-waste, with just under 867 tonnes of material sent to landfill.”

Mr Florence encourages anyone observing illegal dumping of waste material to report it to Council immediately.

For more information about Council’s annual kerbside bulk rubbish collection, plus resource and recovery centre locations, visit www.noosa.qld.gov.au/waste-recycling.

22 August 2017