Pollution

1. Pollution and Rubbish in our Region

Please play your part in protecting our environment by recycling and disposing of waste responsibly.

Under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, it is an offence to dispose of waste in a place that cannot lawfully be used as a waste facility. It is also an offence to cause or permit waste to be transported to, or deposited in, a place that cannot lawfully be used as a waste facility. Offences can incur significant penalties and on the spot penalty notices.

Incidents can be reported online via the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) or phone 131 555.

 

2. Illegal Dumping

Please report all Illegal Dumping via

 

Illegal dumping creates a number of risks that may adversely affect the environment in which we live. These risks include:

  • Dangerous or unsafe play areas;
  • Health problems;
  • Environmental hazards; and
  • Poor visual amenity. 

 

When large items are illegally dumped, this is also a loss of natural resource as many items could have been recycled, such as fridges and e-waste. Illegal dumping can also have an ugly impact on our environment, deterring people from visiting areas which have become illegal dumping hot-spots. 

Under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, it is an offence to dispose of waste in a place that cannot lawfully be used as a waste facility. It is also an offence to cause or permit waste to be transported to, or deposited in, a place that cannot lawfully be used as a waste facility. Offences can incur significant penalties and on the spot penalty notices.

Incidents can be reported online via the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) or phone 131 555.

Officers will investigate reports of illegal dumping in public and private places in an attempt to identify where the waste material originated from and who was responsible for dumping the waste. Any details that you can provide to help identify where the waste material originated from and who was responsible for the dumping will aid in maintaining a pleasant and clean environment.

 

Here is your chance to ... dob in a dumper!

If you see an illegal dump site or see someone dumping rubbish, you can report it to Council who will be able to investigate the matter further.

The kind of information Council will need to know includes:

  • Street location of illegal dumping
  • Types of dumped materials, whether you believe it constitutes a hazard
  • Date and time of dumping
  • Name and address of person(s) responsible. (if known)
  • Associated vehicle, registration number(s)
  • Photographs of the incident(s) may assist the prosecution

 

3. Contaminated Land

Contaminated land can have major economic, legal and planning implications for the community.

Contamination may limit potential land use or increase costs for developers and councils. It is important to clean-up and protect both human health and environmental health.

There are numerous known contaminated sites as well as sites that are potentially contaminated such as petrol stations, sheep and cattle dips and timber processing sites.

Sites that are confirmed as contaminated may pose a risk to the health of humans and the environment, depending on the type and extent of contamination.

Council maintains a Contaminated Lands Register which lists sites that are known to have been contaminated or because of previous land uses are considered to be potentially contaminated. The Register also lists land that has been analysed and cleared of contamination and land that has been remediated. For this reason, once a site is listed on the register, it will remain on the register, although its status may change as Council acquires new information about the site. The Register is updated by Council staff on the basis of objective information (eg a past land use) and assessments it receives from contaminated land consultants.