Through the Palaszczuk Government’s Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program, the Sunshine Coast Council has partnered with the Department of Environment and Science (DES) to accelerate the fight against illegal dumping.

Minister for Environment and Science Leeanne Enoch said that this program would create more local jobs with the appointment of one fulltime and one part time compliance officer by the Sunshine Coast Council, to combat illegal dumping over the next 12 months.

“The Palaszczuk Government has committed $5 million in funding to help enforce illegal dumping penalties and the Local Government Illegal Partnerships Program is enabling councils to tackle the problem head on,” Minister Enoch said.

“After the success of the pilot Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnership Program with four participating councils last year, the program has now been expanded to 29 participating councils which will employ an extra 31 frontline jobs.

“During the 2019 pilot, over 238,290 litres or 992 wheelie bins of waste were removed from the environment alone and now the goal is to reduce costs to ratepayers so that council does not have to clean up after offenders who do the wrong thing.

“Many illegally dumped items can be disposed of at council’s waste facilities at no cost, such as white goods and electronic equipment, so we encourage everyone in the community to dispose of their unwanted items responsibly.”

Sunshine Coast Council Councillor, Christian Dickson, said the program would help the council identify people who had dumped items in a public place.

“Dumping waste in our environment, rather than disposing of it in the correct way, is illegal and carries significant penalties. It’s also unsightly, can be harmful to the environment and people, and is unnecessary,” Cr Dickson said.

“Through this program we are aiming to deter illegal dumping behaviour and our dedicated officers will use CCTV cameras and other methods to investigate incidents and identify offenders.

“We’re calling on the community to report illegal dumping – if you see it, report it.”

The Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program will run for 12 months and helps create local jobs and protects the environment for future generations to enjoy.

Report illegal dumping in the Sunshine Coast area here, email the location and type of waste to mail@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au or phone 5475 7272.