Figures show Liverpool Plains Shire’s diversion from landfill rate amongst best in State while illegal dumping incidents see Council up the ante against these criminal acts – According to the Chair Liverpool Plains Shire Council’s (LPSC) Environmental Services Committee, Councillor Col Stewart, Council has lost its patience with people who are illegally dumping items, including asbestos with its associated health and environmental risks, and will prosecute offenders to the full extent of the law when apprehended. “There are no excuses, people who are dumping rubbish illegally are guilty not only of criminal offences but also of costing ratepayers to clean up their mess. On-the-spot fines vary according to the seriousness of the offence, starting from $750 for individuals to a maximum of $1,500 and $1,500 - $5,000 for corporations. At the top of the range, disposal of waste harmful to the environment has a maximum penalty for an individual of $1,000,000 and/or seven years imprisonment and a corporation $5,000,000. “A small amount of asbestos illegally dumped costs ratepayers at least $300 to clean up and the cost rises the larger the amounts become. Council is cleaning up such events at least monthly and at times on a weekly basis. It is also costly to divert work crews to clean ups of other illegally dumped items and overall this criminal activity is costing the community thousands of dollars a year. It is imperative that the local community help protect their environment and their finances by reporting incidents to the Environment Line on 131 555, Police/Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or Council on 6746 1755. LPSC will further step up its surveillance, including CCTV, and work with Environment Protection Agency (EPA) officers, police and other agencies to bring offenders before the courts,” Councillor Stewart said. “All Councillors in attendance at the July meeting related and highlighted recent incidents and were unanimous in upping the ante against those taking the gamble of committing these criminal offences. Recently we’ve had paint and insulation bats dumped near Flora Ponds Bridge, green waste, white goods and household rubbish along Black Gully Road, some lazy people were caught on camera dumping assorted household rubbish and white goods in front of the recycling wall at Werris Creek and tyres have again been dumped along Gap Road and Bulunbulun Road. Unbelievably, people have dumped bags of garbage along the Quirindi Creek Riparian Zone Restoration Project after crews spent hours clearing up the accumulation of years of illegally dumped domestic rubbish. A significant amount of waste has been identified adjacent to Quirindi Creek and in the thickest vegetation it has harboured vermin. So, illegal dumping not only costs ratepayers, it also pollutes the environment plus increases health risks to the wider community,” he continued. “The Deputy Mayor pointed out to the meeting that a trailer load that would cost $7 at one of our waste disposal centres recently cost him $80 for the same trailer load at a Brisbane waste station. While by comparison our charges are ridiculously low this may change in the future as the EPA is undertaking consultation with regional councils regarding proposed changes to the scope of the NSW waste levy. Depending on which option is adopted this could have significant cost implications for ratepayers in future years. Illegal dumping is a dilemma because there is a public perception that disposal fees are already too high, when in fact our charges are some of the lowest around the country, and Council fears that if the State Government adds an extra levy the problem will only be exacerbated,” he said. “To give some idea of Council’s task in waste management, tonnages in 2012-13 across all waste streams were, Quirindi Waste Management Facility (WMF) 2,832 tonne, Werris Creek WMF 380 tonne, Willow Tree WMF 184 tonne and between 20 – 105 tonne for each of the rural WMFs. In fact, LPSC and the community can be quite proud that a conservative estimate of Council’s diversion from landfill rate is 54.6% which compares more than favourably with the best rate in Sydney, where a waste levy is in place, of 52% and in unregulated areas such as ours where the average is 35.7%. It is obvious that Council and the vast majority of Shire residents are doing the right thing and we intend to build on that progress. These figures reinforce the reality that Council and the community are on the right track, without the extra pressure and cost a waste levy would add. “Federal and State environmental policies are only going to see the cost of waste disposal increase into the future. What Council and the community don’t need are the extra cost burdens associated with cleaning up the illegal dumpings of the criminal minority who show no respect for the vast majority of Shire residents who actively do their bit for the environment, show no regard for the health and safety issues arising from their illegal activities and shift the cost impost of cleaning up their criminal acts to ratepayers. With the assistance of community intelligence, co-operation with other agencies, forensics and surveillance, illegal dumpers will be pursued to the full extent of the law. It is only a matter of time till they will be caught for their criminal activity and face big fines and/or possibly prison time,” Councillor Stewart concluded.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 22:14:42 +0000
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