An increase in illegal dumping has forced a South Australian council to remove some public bins from across the district.
Barunga West Council said there has been a rise in the number of people illegally dumping large items in public bins rather than paying to dispose of them at authorised waste depots.
Baling twine, car floor mats, engine oil, personal belongings, a bucket of concrete, small hard waste items, blankets, pillows, syringes, tyres, mattresses and timber have all been dumped across the district. Some people also have dumped unwanted animals still alive in public bins.
The hotspots are Kulpara, Bute and Tickera.
As a result of the rise in illegal dumping, council staff are having to manually empty public bins at least three times a fortnight and in some cases four times a week, at considerable cost to ratepayers.
Maree Wauchope, Barunga West Council Chief Executive Officer, said education stickers on bins warning of the risk of prosecution had not been a deterrent.
“Council spends a significant amount of time, effort and money cleaning up and disposing of waste illegally dumped in public bins or on the side of the road,” Wauchope said.
“Public bins that are constantly used for illegal dumping of household and business waste in locations like car parks where it is easy to abuse the bins, will now be removed.”
Council will continue to monitor any illegal dumping.
Illegal dumping is an issue for councils right across Australia. In December 2022, the New South Wales Government funded grants totalling $11 million to help councils and community groups tackle the growing issue. Queensland State Government has also offered more than $4 million in funding the past 12 months for projects targettng dumping.
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