Living Here
Illegal Dumping
What is illegal dumping?
What is littering?
Dob in a Dumper!
Use of waste bins and facilities provided
Green waste dumping
Thousands of rubbish items are dumped on private or public land without authorisation which is illegal and degrades our environment. Council receives more than 100 reports of illegal dumping throughout the region each year and a similar number of requests to clean litter outside of its scheduled service - a regrettable waste of Council resources and ratepayers' money.
Fines can be issued to individuals and corporations found dumping or littering.
Illegal Dumping and Litter Prevention Strategy
What is illegal dumping?
The unlawful disposal of 200 litres or more of any type of waste in dedicated areas including:
- Household rubbish and goods (eg fridges, freezes, TVs, furniture, mattresses)
- Hazardous waste
- Garden waste
- Construction waste
- Fishing line and equipment
- Car bodies, motorbikes or bicycles
- Boats and motors
- Tyres, chemical drums and paint tins
- Asbestos and timber products.
What is littering?
The unlawful disposal of any type of domestic or commercial waste material less than 200 litres in volume.
Common littering items include:
- Cigarette butts, drink bottles and fast food packaging being thrown out of a vehicle, boat or incorrectly disposed of
- Material falling off a ute, trailer or truck due to being uncovered or poorly secured
- Grass clippings swept into a footpath
- Household goods left on the footpath
- Dangerous littering - eg throwing a lit cigarette butt into bushland, leaving a hypodermic needle in a park, smashing a glass bottle on the footpath.
Please do not dump your rubbish:
- On the side of the road
- In bushland
- In our waterways
- At the beach
- In our parks
- In council reserves
- In any public spaces
- On private land without authorisation.
Littered or dumped waste has many negative environmental, social and economic impacts, including:
- The pollution of waterways
- Death of animals through ingesting or entrapment
- Health risks
- Attraction of vermin
- Reduction of the aesthetic appeal of public places
- Cleaning and disposal costs for the community
- Blockage of drains
- Damage to flora and fauna.
Dob in a Dumper!
If you see an illegal dump site or see someone dumping rubbish, you can report it to Council. You may be required to sign a statutory declaration.
The kind of information Council will need to know includes:
- Address and exact location of illegal dumping. Give landmark details such as left of the gate, under the large gum tree etc
- Types of dumped materials, and whether you believe it constitutes a hazard
- Date and time of dumping
- Name and address of person(s) responsible. (if known)
- Vehicle details eg colour, make and registration number(s)
- Photographs of the incident (this may assist the prosecution).
Residents who notice littering and illegal dumping offences are encouraged to phone Council on 4970 0700 or email info@gladstone.qld.gov.au
Use of waste bins and facilities provided
There is no excuse for littering as the majority of general household waste can be removed via Council's supplied green or red lid wheelie bins or yellow lid bins for recyclable items.
There are dedicated waste disposal services available throughout the Gladstone Region including Waste Transfer Station and Landfill Facilities. Refer to Waste Fees and Charges for domestic and commercial waste disposal.
Green waste dumping
Dumping of green waste is considered illegal under the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 and offenders may face significant penalties.
Council often finds green waste dumped in bushland, road reserve, parks, drains and on private/Council land. Green waste is usually material generated from garden maintenance, including lawn clippings, branches, palm fronds, leaves, plants, soil and mulch.
While green waste does break down, it can take a long time and can cause a number of problems as listed below:
- Spreads weeds
- Increases fire hazard
- Impacts our waterways – such as, clogging stormwater drains, be harmful to animals and cause toxic algae blooms
- Impacts the community – such as, breeding grounds for vermin including mosquitoes, rats and mice.
Disposal of Green waste up to 500kg is free at the Benaraby Landfill or Council Transfer Station for Gladstone residents.
Do not:
- Dispose of your green waste in your general waste bin or recycle bins
- Toss over the back fence or dumping in a natural area.
Do:
- Separate from other waste and dispose at the Benaraby Landfill or Council Transfer Station.
Green Waste Dumping Fact sheet