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Illegal dumping and littering

Illegal dumping and littering means tossing, tipping or depositing waste on land and in water, where it pollutes the environment and can harm human health.

Dumped materials range from a piece of litter and small bags of rubbish to larger scale dumping of hazardous waste such as asbestos and chemicals in isolated bushland areas. Other examples of illegal dumping include:

  • placing unwanted household items like furniture, mattresses or whitegoods on the kerbside when there is no Council pickup
  • contractors or businesses disposing of commercial waste on land without approval
  • overfilling public or charitable bins
  • the dumping of: rubbish or green waste at public parks, bushland, roadsides or waterways; concrete waste; tyres or car bodies in bushland; waste outside the gate or boundary of council waste facilities.

Litter is any material that is disposed of incorrectly:

  • fast food wrappers tossed out of a vehicle window
  • cigarette butts flicked away, or from a vehicle window
  • grass clippings swept into the gutter
  • bottles dropped on the ground.

Council monitors illegal dumping in Eurobodalla. Fines for illegal dumping range from $500 for littering and up to $4 million for corporations illegally disposing of waste, and further fines of $240,000 for each day the offence continues. Offenders can be issued with a fine or taken to court.

Impacts

Dumping illegal waste in public reserves, roadside verges, bushland areas and vacant lots creates a major problem for our community. These impacts include:

  • increased fire risk, endangering people's lives by blocking emergency access
  • reduced property values
  • pollution
  • smothers native vegetation
  • makes streets unattractive and deters people from visiting these places
  • can cause disease outbreaks and serve as a breeding ground for pests and vermin
  • increased risk of weeds
  • makes public places dangerous to use
  • dump sites can attract further dumping and other criminal activities

What you can do to help

You can dispose of your unwanted household items at any of Council's waste management facilities:

Council also provides free annual waste collection services for Eurobodalla residents:

  • kerbside hard waste collection - for residential properties that use Council's domestic waste collection service
  • chemical cleanout - residents can take unwanted chemicals to designated drop-off points in Batemans Bay, Moruya and Narooma
  • textile recycling - residents can drop off their unwanted household linen, sheets and towels at the Mourya Transfer Station as part of the 'Give a Sheet for the Planet' event.

Safely dispose of problem household waste

Find out how you can dispose of problem household waste, including:

Report illegal dumping and littering

Eurobodalla Rangers patrol Council and Crown land, State Forest and national parks from Akolele to South Durras. They can also help to investigate illegal dumping on private land.

Rangers may use video surveillance, caution signs, and monitor the transport of waste by contractors and the public. Random audits and inspections are carried out on contractors, development sites and businesses.

It's your responsibility to make sure you transport and dispose of your waste at a licensed waste facility. If you're the owner of waste that is illegally dumped, you may be just as guilty as the person who dumped it.

How to report

You can report illegal dumping to:

  • Council on 02 4474 1000
  • NSW Environment Protection Authority's (EPA) environmental line on 131 555
    or
  • RID online:

Report illegal dumping

When you report illegal dumping, you'll need to know the:

  • date you observed the incident
  • location where you saw the illegal dumping
  • type and amount of waste dumped at the location
  • details that identify the source of the waste such as a description of a vehicle or registration number if possible.

If you see litter being discarded or blown from a vehicle you can report this to the EPA. By reporting littering from vehicles, you can:

  • help raise awareness
  • reduce clean-up costs
    and
  • keep NSW clean.

How to report

To report littering from a vehicle you need to:

  • be 18 years of age or over or have your parent's or guardian's permission to report
  • have seen the litter being thrown, or blown, from the vehicle
  • provide a description of the person, vehicle registration details, make and model of the car
  • provide the location, type of litter, date and time of littering
  • report the incident within 14 days on EPA's website:

Report to EPA

The first time you submit a report, EPA will ask you to register so they can ensure your contact details are correct. You'll need your mobile phone with you so you can receive an SMS text message that will verify your registration details.

EPA may issue a fine based on your report and if this occurs, they could contact you. Also, if the offender elects to have the matter dealt with in court, EPA may need you to attend court as a witness.

Safety first

Your health and safety are more important than reporting littering from a vehicle.

  • Never use your mobile phone while driving. Pull over or ask a passenger to record the details.
  • If recording the details affects your concentration or driving, wait until next time to report it.

If the occupants of a vehicle are littering, it's only a matter of time before another member of the public, police or enforcement officer reports it.

We aim to keep our streets clean and free of abandoned shopping trolleys from the local supermarkets. If you notice trolleys on the streets, you can report them, so they're collected and returned to the supermarket from which they belong.

How to report

Please report abandoned or dumped shopping trolleys:

More information

We can help you

For all illegal dumping and littering enquiries, please contact our Rangers on: