Tipping point for dumped rubbish drive

ELIGIBLE organisations in Central Victoria have been encouraged to apply for reimbursement of up to 50 per cent of the clean-up costs of illegal dumping via the Illegal Dumping Clean-up Rebate Program.

The rebate program is facilitated by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) and is part of the State Government’s $21.5 million crackdown on the scourge.

The Program has been introduced to help public land managers including councils and Crown land Committees of Management to clean up priority waste and will cover as much as half of the clean-up costs in situations where all avenues to trace the perpetrator and recover costs have failed.

To catch more people flouting the law, $13 million will also help an Illegal Dumping Taskforce ramp up surveillance, enforcement and clean-up efforts across Victoria.

The taskforce will be led by the EPA, who will work with the Conservation Regulator and undertake enforcement activities using expanded intelligence and monitoring to detect and respond to waste crimes in key locations.

EPA CEO Joss Crawford said the strike team will “hold those responsible to account”.

“Whether they’re being lazy, deliberately avoiding the legitimate cost of legal disposal or dumping for profit, they’re shifting the cost on to the community who are not responsible and who should not be left with a bill for the clean up,” she said.

Rubbish dumping and littering on public land is illegal with a maximum penalty of $3,951,800 for businesses and $800,000 for individuals, five years imprisonment, or both.

To report illegal dumping, contact the EPA on 1300 372 842.

To find out more, visit the DEECA website.