ACT Government tackling illegal dumping


Released 06/06/2019

Minister for City Services Chris Steel today introduced new laws to strengthen and better enforce litter and illegal dumping laws in the Territory.

“These stronger littering laws reflect the importance of reducing and deterring littering in our community to protect and enhance the natural and built environment, while ensuring the health, amenity and wellbeing of ACT residents,” Minister Streel said.

“Canberrans should be able to be proud of a clean, liveable city without illegal dumping in their streets, parks and local schools.

“Cleaning up after illegal dumping is a financial burden on ratepayers as our city services staff spend a considerable amount of time and money removing litter.”

In 2017-18 there were almost 800 recorded reports of illegal dumping incidents by Transport Canberra and City Services which cost $2 million to clean up.

“The new laws will amend the existing offence provisions to ensure all kinds of littering and dumping are appropriately captured.

“I know that in new suburbs, building materials on private land sometimes blow away into local waterways as well as other people’s property. This Bill will ensure that builders store material securely to prevent it from becoming litter.

“The legislation introduces a framework for escalating offences, similar to other jurisdictions, where penalties increase with the volume, mass or nature of litter dumped and a more efficient framework exists for issuing fines for people who do the wrong thing.”

Fines have increased for driving a vehicle with an uncovered loads to reflect the danger that this poses for other road users and the environment.

Cigarette butts, cause a significant risk to our environment and result in 13 per cent of landscape fires in the ACT. Dropping a cigarette will incur a fine that reflects the seriousness of the offence.

“The new provisions will allow for clearly abandoned vehicles to be removed more quickly and more efficiently from areas such as car parks of inside school grounds, and other private areas that the public can access.

“CCTV is increasingly being used to monitor areas known for dumping in the ACT and at other public areas, such as recycling centres and schools, and the Government will use this evidence to issue fines.”

An important innovation in these laws is that vehicle registration details will be used to identify the people illegal dumping to enable infringement notices to be issued more easily, similar to speeding fines.

“Under these laws if you litter, from or near a vehicle, it will be up to the vehicle owner to explain who pays the fine.”

To ensure compliance, the recently announced compliance team from Transport Canberra and City Services will play an important role in policing the new laws, after we have undertaken a comprehensive community education program.

There are many options available for ACT residents to dispose of their unwanted items responsible, including -the Green Shed at Mugga Lane and Mitchell Resource Management Centres that accepts unwanted items that can be resold, subject to quality and demand.

Old mattresses and ensembles can be dropped off to or collected by Soft Landing where they can be recycled for a fee. Mattresses recycled at the facility divert thousands of tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

You can dispose of old or unwanted televisions and computer products for free at the Mitchell and Mugga Lane Resource Management Centres under the National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme. This includes televisions, desktop computers and laptops, monitors, keyboards, mice, drives, printer, scanners and cables.

For more information on disposing unwanted items visit www.act.gov.au/recyclopaedia

- Statement ends -

Chris Steel, MLA | Media Releases

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