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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.

Council monitors illegal dumping in Eurobodalla. Penalties for illegal dumping range from $250 for littering and up to $1 million for corporations illegally disposing of waste.

Impacts

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

  • increased fire risk and endangering people's lives by blocking emergency access
  • reduced property values
  • pollution
  • smothering native vegetation
  • poor visual amenity
  • increased health and safety hazard
  • increased risk of weeds and pests
  • making public places dangerous to use
  • the potential to attract other illegal dumping and antisocial behaviour.

How to report illegal dumping and littering

Eurobodalla rangers regularly patrol Council land, Crown land, state forest and national parks from Akolele to South Durras, and can provide assistance in investigating illegal dumping on private land.

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

Penalties for littering and illegal dumping range from $250 for littering and up to $1 million for corporations illegally disposing of waste. Offenders are either issued with on-the-spot penalty notices or taken to court.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your waste is transported and disposed of at a licensed waste facility. The owner of waste that is illegally dumped may be just as guilty as the person who dumped it.

How to report

You can report illegal dumping to:

When reporting illegal dumping, you will be asked for the following information:

  • the date you observed the incident
  • the location where you saw the illegal dumping
  • an idea of the type and amount of waste dumped at the location
  • any details that may 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 NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA). By reporting littering from motor 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 actually 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
  • go to the Don't be a Tosser website to report the littering:

The first time you submit a report you will be asked to register. You will need your mobile phone with you so you can receive an SMS text message that will verify your registration details.

You need to register so the EPA can be confident your contact details are correct. A fine may be issued based on your report and you may need to be contacted about the report. Also, if the offender chooses to have the matter dealt with in court, the EPA will need to contact you and you may be required 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 littering from a vehicle.

If the occupants of a vehicle are littering, it is only a matter of time before this is observed and reported by another member of the public, police or enforcement officer.

Council aims to keep our streets clean and free of abandoned shopping trolleys from the local supermarkets. If you notice trolleys on the streets, you can be proactive and report them so that they can be 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 Council's Rangers on: