Shire to host summit as part of illegal dumping battle

A STATEWIDE illegal dumping summit will be hosted by Moorabool Shire Council next week as part of its campaign against the practice.

Mayors, chief executive officers and local government staff from throughout Victoria are expected to participate in the event, which will be held online from the Moorabool Aquatic and Recreation Centre from 10am on Thursday 30 October.

The Shire has organised the summit off the back of its dispute with the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) over the clean-up of industrial waste on a property near Bacchus Marsh, and also ongoing illegal dumping of rubbish throughout the municipality.

It also follows news earlier this month that the State Government would provide $21.5 million to bolster its Illegal Dumping Taskforce and deliver extra financial support for councils and public land managers to clean up illegally dumped waste.

“We have decided to host a summit with representatives from other councils to determine a collaborative approach and drive shared solutions for this issue,” mayor Cr Paul Tatchell said.

“We’re looking forward to hearing what other councils are experiencing with illegal dumping and what measures they are putting in place to combat this widespread issue.”

Moorabool representatives will share the Shire’s experience of the dispute with the EPA in which it was forced to pay $500,000 to clean up truck trailers of dissolved acetylene cylinders that were illegally dumped on council-managed land at Merrimu, just east of Bacchus Marsh.

The Shire has argued, and maintains, that the EPA had the property the trailers originated from under surveillance for at least a year but had failed to act until the trailers turned up on the council-managed road reserve.

The Shire will also lead discussions on the wider problem of illegally dumped rubbish, which it says costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to clean up.

It is already running a campaign targeting the practice, with a particular focus on builders and contractors coming into the area for work.

Shire data shows that 76 per cent of illegally dumped commercial waste can be traced to an offender originating from outside the Moorabool Shire.

It is fighting the issue with increased patrols, surveillance cameras and a rapid clean-up response when instances are reported.

Between 1 January 2024 and June this year, expenditure on illegal dumping collection contractors for materials such as soil, building waste, commercial loads of tyres and asbestos exceeded $300,000.

More information about the campaign is available on the Shire’s website at moorabool.vic.gov.au/illegal-dumping.