Illegal dumping

Illegal dumping includes all waste materials that are deposited onto private or public land where no licence or approval exists for the waste to be there. Illegal dumping can vary from small bags of domestic rubbish to industrial quantities of hazardous materials.

In North Sydney, the common types of dumped waste includes:

• general household rubbish
• larger domestic items such as mattresses, furniture and whitegoods
• construction, demolition and excavation waste
• garden organic material
• hazardous waste
• abandoned vehicles, car parts and shopping trolleys.

Illegal dumping has a large environmental cost. Waste can degrade plant and animal habitats, destroy local bushland, reduce biodiversity value and hinder revegetation. Runoff from dump sites can contaminate soil and water such as rivers, creeks and drinking water supplies.

There are also significant financial costs involved. NSW local governments spend $10 million a year removing and properly disposing of illegally dumped materials.

Reporting illegal dumping

Council can issue warnings or even take prosecution action for certain offences:

• littering and illegal dumping under The Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997
• transportation and disposal of waste under The Protection of the Environment Operations (Waste) Regulation 2005.

To report illegal dumping, submit an enquiry including times, dates and frequency to your report.

Submit an enquiry

The Environmental Protection Authority also provides a list of contacts for waste and litter pollution.