A local resident was disheartened early last week to discover a pile of illegally dumped rubbish within the local regeneration area.
At least three vacuum cleaners, along with household rubbish and other items, were discarded, which will now require either the local Council, or volunteers, to remove the rubbish and clear the area.
A resident who came across the rubbish, and who wishes to remain anonymous, told us, “it would be nice to be able to go for a walk around our regeneration area, our beautiful outskirts, without being confronted with rubbish and things that have been illegally dumped there”.
A Broken Hill City Council spokesperson told the Truth in 2022/2023, there were 20 reported incidents of illegal dumping, totalling 11 tonnes of rubbish, which is a significant decrease from 2021, when there were 68 illegal dumping incidents, amounting to 38 tonnes of waste.
The spokesperson added the reduction of illegal dumping during that time period was partly because, “Council focused on known illegal dumping ‘hot spots’ over the last year and cleaned up problem areas.
“We’ve partnered with the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) regarding the RIDonline service and Don’t Be A Tosser initiative to combat and monitor illegal littering,” the spokesperson added.
To combat illegal waste dumping, the Council offers eight free trips to the waste facility, at up to a tonne per load, for household waste – and upon request, extra vouchers can be made available.
“Even in instances where waste facility users are required to pay a fee to dump rubbish, Broken Hill’s fees are significantly cheaper than most other centres,” the spokesperson said.
The council also advises residents who come across illegally dumped rubbish to lodge an anonymous report via the EPA’s ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au service, or call the council on 8080 3300.
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority enforces on-the-spot fines for illegal dumping, beginning at a $7500 on-the-spot fine for individuals if issued by the EPA, or $4000 otherwise, or $15,000 on-the-spot fine for corporations if issued by the EPA, or $8000 otherwise.
At the time of printing, the site raised by the resident had been cleared of the illegally dumped rubbish.
PICTURE: An illegal dumping incident last week angered local residents. Photo supplied.
