EPA urges residents to track their trash

THE Environment Protection Authority is sounding the alarm on the rise of illegal waste dumping, stressing that it is everyone’s responsibility to monitor the disposal of their renovation waste and hard rubbish.

EPA southwest regional manager Carolyn Francis said unscrupulous waste operators were undercutting legitimate removal companies with low prices, then resorting to illegal dumping to evade disposal costs.

“If you’ve hired a skip bin business to collect your household or demolition waste, there are ways you can check that they are following the rules that stop it becoming a fire hazard, a source of pollution or an eyesore.”

Ms Francis said licensed facilities gave the skip bin company paperwork to show the waste went where it should go.

“You can protect yourself and the environment by asking the skip bin company to show they have paperwork from other loads.

“Do your research and make sure they’re a legitimate business and be wary of those advertised on Facebook or Airtasker.”

She said to watch out for suspiciously cheap prices and ask the operator to show the receipts they get from licensed recycling or landfill facilities.

“Those receipts are a reassurance that your waste won’t be dumped in a park, a creek or on someone else’s property in the middle of the night,” she said.

City of Greater Geelong residents are entitled to two hard waste and two mattress collections each financial year.

All recyclable material is directed to recycling businesses while hard waste that cannot be recycled is sent to landfill.

The public can report dumped waste or suspicious skip bin operators anonymously by contacting EPA’s 24-hour hotline on 1300 372 842 or providing details online at epa.vic.gov.au/report-pollution/reporting-pollution