The mistaken ‘dead body’ that reveals Sydney’s illegal dumping shame

3 months ago 18

As illegal dumping soars in Sydney, councils are spending millions of dollars cleaning up items ranging from fridges and furniture to asbestos-ridden building material.

Increased ranger patrols and mobile CCTV cameras are among the latest measures used by councils to rein in the alarming increase in waste being dumped in public areas, including residential nature strips, light industrial areas and parks.

A pile of illegally dumped waste in the Georges River local government area.

Over the past two years, the illegal activity has surged. In Liverpool Council area, reported incidents more than tripled from 1335 to 4131 in the period.

Other local government hotspots in the past financial year included Campbelltown, with 4600 reported incidents, and Northern Beaches, with 2854 reports.

Councils are footing immense bills. Parramatta spent $1 million cleaning up more than 4100 illegally dumped items in the past 12 months, while Blacktown spent $1.58 million.

Among the most common dumped items are whitegoods, such as fridges, discarded electronics, mattresses and building waste.

Unusual items included discarded boats, birth certificates, coin collections and even a lifelike mannequin initially mistaken as a “dead body” by an alarmed resident who reported the find to Campbelltown Council.

NSW Local Government Association president Phyllis Miller attributed rising reports of illegal dumping to offenders avoiding costly tip fees, as well as those “thinking they’re above the law”.

Miller said the NSW government’s controversial waste levy – a per-tonne tax imposed on councils and waste facilities for disposing materials in landfill, passed on to the public in fees – may also be contributing to the scourge.

“The rising cost of the waste levy has made taking rubbish to waste facilities more expensive and, in a cost-of-living crisis, people are looking at saving money wherever they can,” she said.

Waste dumped on a road in the Willoughby Council area.

“That’s having a big financial [impact] on councils because we’re not only having to pay the waste levy but also having to cover the cost of removing illegal rubbish, which means less money we’re able to spend on the core services our residents expect.”

Figures from the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) show that illegal dumping is increasing not only on public land but also at privately owned sites. The watchdog issued 45 clean-up orders since January for landowners to clean up illegal material on private land.

Among the latest was a clean-up notice issued to a Sydney Animal Memorial Cemetery and Crematorium in Berkshire Park, where the EPA claims to have found 6000 tonnes of building and demolition waste.

Cemetery owner Shane McGraw said he was “not aware” of how the material came to be left on the site but said the business was complying with the EPA order to clean up the material.

Illegal waste dumped in the Campbelltown Council region.

Northern Beaches mayor Sue Heins said illegal dumping was a growing concern in residential areas, as it had the potential to cause “environmental damage” and “obstruct pedestrian access”.

Heins said the council’s measures to crack down on offending included targeted education campaigns and enforcement patrols by rangers.

In their own fights against illegal dumping, Parramatta, Ryde, Camden, Campbelltown and Sutherland councils are using mobile CCTV cameras to patrol hotspot areas for offending.

Lane Cove Council takes forensic analysis of illegally dumped material to identify offenders. Camden Council has resorted to erecting barriers around some council-owned sites to restrict public access, while Randwick Council plans to install garden beds on some nature strips identified as illegal dumping hotspots in Coogee.

Illegally dumped building waste is a common problem for Georges River Council, which supplied this photo.

Other council measures include public signage and increased lighting in public areas to deter offenders dumping items under the cover of darkness.

A Georges River Council spokeswoman said areas around unit compleses were disproportionately affected by illegal dumping due to the high turnover of tenants and “the anonymity such environments can provide to offenders”.

Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone urged the NSW government to consider increasing fines for offences above the current cap of $16,000 for individuals.

“The penalties need to be reflective of the crime, and quite simply, $16,000 is not enough when it comes to illegal dumping, especially construction material and asbestos, which is not only costly for councils to clean up but also public health hazard,” he said.

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