Not only does it look bad, it can also hurt animals and spread pollution into natural areas. Litter and illegal dumping also costs our community through clean up, removal and disposal of the waste.
Litter
Litter generally refers to smaller items dropped on the ground instead of being placed in the bin. Littering can also take place when an item is deliberately tossed out a car window or blown from an uncovered load. Fines do apply for littering and even reports from the public can result in a fine.
What is Council doing?:
- Providing and servicing street bins for residents and visitors to dispose of their waste responsibly
- Providing the Community Cash 4 Cans trailer for free hire at local events to collect drink cans and bottles
- Delivering community projects that tackle littering
What can you do?:
- Always put your rubbish in the bin, even if it means holding on to it until you find a bin
- Report incidents of littering from a vehicle that you see to the NSW EPA
Illegal dumping
Illegal dumping is placing waste on land where no approval has been given to place the rubbish in that area. Dumped rubbish usually consists of larger items or larger amounts of rubbish than litter, examples include bags of household rubbish, building material, fridges, mattresses, or garden waste.
Fines apply for illegal dumping and they can be as much as $250,000 for individuals or $1 million for businesses.
What is Council doing?
- Providing the Hard Waste collection service to assist residents in the disposal of larger household items
- Accepting many items for free at Gregadoo Waste Management Centre
- Coordinating annual Clean Up Australia Day activities locally
- Delivering projects to educate residents on illegal dumping
What can you do?:
- Always dispose of your waste thoughtfully through:
- Advertising usable items online
- Booking a Hard Waste collection service
- Taking waste to Gregadoo Waste Management Centre
- Report illegal dumping to RIDonline noting the following information:
- Location of waste
- Description of waste
- And if you saw the person or persons dumping the waste also note down date and time, vehicle description (registration plate, car make, model and colour), and a description of person/s (gender, hair, estimated age)