Illegal Dumping Prevention

A total pool of $1.285 million is available for illegal dumping initiatives across 4 streams which last up to 2 years. Each stream has a maximum grant allocation outlined in Table 1 below. Table 1: Funding options available for Round 3

Need for strong illegal dumping data

To be successful for Stream 2, 3 and 4, applicants will need to have good data on illegal dumping. This is essential for being able to demonstrate impact from the project. The data must be relevant to the project area or dumping type. For instance:

• A council wants to target dumping at Multi Unit Dwellings (MUDs) across the LGA. They need to have 12 months’ dumping data specifically at MUDs, not only the number of incidents across the LGA.
• A National Parks and Wildlife Service office wants to do a project addressing dumping around visitor areas at five separate national parks in their region. They need to have 12 months’ dumping data at these visitor areas. If they also have dumping rates within the whole of the five national parks, that would be viewed favourably, but not essential.

We have made changes to the grants based on stakeholder feedback and an evaluation of previous grants. Round 3 will be different to Round 2 in these ways: 

• Partnerships with private land managers will be eligible. Applications can be made that include or collaborate with private land managers e.g Local Aboriginal Land Councils to target a common illegal dumping issue.
• Better data requirements and extended reporting. To strengthen the assessment of illegal dumping prevention efforts, applications must provide robust data specifically related to dumping in the project area. Grantees will be strongly encouraged to continue to gather data in the 12 months after the end of the project to enable its impact to be meaningfully evaluated, but payment of the final milestone will not be contingent on this.

Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform. You will receive an acknowledgement of your application form after submission via SmartyGrants. If you do not receive an acknowledgement email, contact the Illegal Dumping Prevention team at [email protected] to ensure your application has been received. 

Grant applications will be assessed against the selection criteria outlined in these guidelines. Well thought-out, innovative and collaborative projects that have the potential to have the highest project impact will be prioritised in the selection process.

EPA aims to notify successful applicants within two months of the closing date. Successful applicants will need to send the following information before starting their project: 

• a project plan in a format supplied by the EPA
• a signed funding agreement
• a Statement of Expenditure showing how funds will be spent
• an invoice for the first milestone payment

See the details under each stream below for the grantee requirements.

• All Streams will open on 4 August 2025.
• Round 3 grants webinar will be held on 20 August 2025.
• Expressions of Interest for Streams 3 & 4 closes on 30 September 2025.
• Discussion about the EOIs for Streams 3 & 4 will take place with EPA during 7-23 October 2025.
• Final applications for all streams will close on 27 November 2025.
• TRC to review applications December 2025
• Successful applicants announced early 2026

Key information

This stream provides funding for establishing baseline data either for dumping on publicly owned land or for developing an illegal dumping business case for the following entities:

• Individual local councils
• Groups of councils (Stream 1b only)
• State government public land managers

Funding of up to $20,000 is available per entity and must be completed within 12 months.

The EPA strongly encourages applicants to attend the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program Round 3 grants webinar (see EPA website for the date or to watch the recording).

Application process

Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform.

Stream 1a (Establishment of Illegal Dumping Baseline) project requirements

This stream is for applicants who want to establish an illegal dumping baseline and develop a brief Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy for their LGA or area/region. The following rules apply:

• Clean up or disposal of illegal dumping will NOT be funded under this stream. However, a contractor who is collecting data can also remove waste from a site, if that activity is funded from a different source than this grant.
• For councils, data collection must cover an entire LGA. Only single councils can apply, as it is important for each council to undertake their own data collection and develop their Illegal Dumping Strategy. For a state government land managers, please contact the EPA to discuss the proposed target area.
• Data must be collected for 10-12 months.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project, including all data relating to project activities. Grantees must make sure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months.
• Successful applicants must engage with EPA regularly and report on agreed milestones.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA on media or other promotion of the project and acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA.
• Publicity materials to promote reporting of illegal dumping (such as brochures, signage, advertising) produced for projects funded by the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program must be in line with EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping instructions for use.
• Up to 20% of the project budget can be used for installing signage or developing education materials to improve public reporting of illegal dumping.
• Grantees will be required to create a brief Illegal Dumping Strategy as part of this project. The EPA provides a template and guidance for this.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• Strength of the evidence of the illegal dumping problem and the need to capture baseline data (40% weighting).
• Effectiveness and clarity of proposed methods for gathering high-quality illegal dumping data across the jurisdiction and use of RIDonline (30% weighting).
• Appropriateness of budget and project value for money (30% weighting).

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be in two parts:

• Payment 1: 70% of grant funds will be paid upon receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Payment 2: 30% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final report including an illegal dumping prevention strategy and final financial report.

Stream 1b (Development of an illegal dumping business case) project requirements

This stream is for councils, groups of councils and state government public land managers that would like to develop a strong business case for sustained internal investment in illegal dumping prevention. We strongly encourage applicants with prior experience in running illegal dumping projects to consider this stream. Funding of up to $10,000 per entity is available.

This stream is intended for entities with expertise in managing illegal dumping. They will need to demonstrate they have a baseline and good understanding of their illegal dumping problem.

This stream will not cover clean-up or illegal dumping prevention activities.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• Strength of the evidence of the illegal dumping problem, its size and complexity (40% weighting).
• Effectiveness and clarity of proposed methods of developing the business case (30% weighting).
• Appropriateness of budget expenditure (30% weighting).

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be in 2 parts:

• Payment 1: 70% of grant funds will be paid upon receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Payment 2: 30% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory illegal dumping prevention business case.

Key information

This stream is an introductory grant for the following entities:

• Individual councils
• Groups of councils eg ROCs, JOs, Regional Waste Groups
• State government public land managers

Funding of up to $60,000 is available per project, which must be completed within 12 months.

For more information about Stream 2, please attend the applicant webinar or watch the recording. See details on our website.

If you would like to discuss your proposed project, contact the Illegal Dumping Prevention team at [email protected] to schedule a chat.

This stream is designed to promote knowledge building and support trials and pilots for entities with limited experience in running illegal dumping projects.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be able to provide illegal dumping baseline data for the past 12 months or longer, and
• have not received more than one grant over the last 3 rounds (Round 7 of Waste Less Recycle More, and Round 1 or 2 of Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy). See below for a list of entities who are ineligible for this stream.

Project requirements

• Projects must include prevention measures to reduce the illegal dumping problem. The selection process will favour projects that show an integrated approach towards preventing and targeting illegal dumping (i.e. they use more than one of the approaches listed in the Illegal Dumping Prevention Strategy 2022- 2027).
• Applicants must provide baseline data on the illegal dumping problem within their jurisdiction (for example, within a local government area if the applicant is a local council) and/or in the area or the type of dumping that will be addressed by the proposed project. For instance, if your project is targeting dumping outside Multi Unit Dwellings or around commercial centres in an LGA, you will need to demonstrate that you have good data for dumping at these sites. If there is no baseline data, please see Stream 1a Establishing illegal dumping baseline data.
• Spending on clean-up and disposal must not exceed 50% of total grant funding.
• Successful applicants must engage with EPA regularly and report on agreed milestones.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA regarding any media or other promotion of the project. They must acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA. Any use of the EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping (RID) collateral must be in line with the instructions for use, as specified on the EPA’s Illegal Dumping Resource Kit.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project, including all data relating to project activities. Grantees must make sure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months. The EPA will favour a commitment to continuing to monitor the impact of the project for the 12 months following the project.
• If any applicants are currently receiving EPA funding for illegal dumping initiatives, including but not limited to RID programs/squad, they should demonstrate how this project will complement the other funded initiatives.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting)
• effectiveness of proposed approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area, their probable extent and longevity of impact, extent of collaboration with appropriate partners and stakeholders (30% weighting)
• probable longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting)
• appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting)
• robustness of project evaluation method (10% weighting).

Application process

Applications must be submitted to the EPA using the SmartyGrants platform.

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be made in 3 parts:

• Milestone 1: 60% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Milestone 2: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory progress report, financial report and an invoice.
• Milestone 3: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final project, final financial report and an invoice.

Ineligible entities

The following entities have received more than one grant under the past 3 rounds of illegal dumping grants, namely Round 7 of Waste Less Recycle More, or Round 1 and 2 of Waste and Sustainable Materials Strategy.

These entities are not eligible to apply for grants under Stream 2:

• Bathurst Regional Council (7, 1)
• Cessnock Council (7, 2)
• Cumberland Council (7, 1)
• Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (7, 1, & 2)
• Penrith Council (7, 1)

Key information

This stream is for major illegal dumping projects (bushland or kerbside) for the following entities:

• Individual councils and individual council groups eg ROCs, JOs, Regional Waste Groups
  • Applicants must have baseline data of the illegal dumping problem within the LGA or the targeted project area (whichever is relevant), either in RIDonline or an alternative
• State government public land managers
  • Applicants must have baseline data of the illegal dumping problem in the project area

Funding of up to $120,000 per entity is available for projects to be completed within 24 months.

For more information about Stream 3, please attend the applicant webinar or watch the recording. See details on the EPA website.

A brief Expression of Interest must be submitted through Smartygrants.

Project requirements

• Projects must include strategic prevention measures to reduce the illegal dumping problem. The selection process will favour projects that show an integrated approach towards preventing and targeting illegal dumping, meaning they incorporate more than one approach to illegal dumping outlined in the NSW Illegal Dumping Strategy 2022-2027.
• Applicants must provide baseline data of the illegal dumping problem within their jurisdiction (for example, within a local government area if the applicant is a local council) and/or in the area or the type of dumping that will be addressed by the proposed project. For instance, if your project is targeting dumping outside Multi Unit Dwellings or around commercial centres in an LGA, you will need to demonstrate that you have good data for dumping at these sites. If there is no baseline data, please see Stream 1a Establishing illegal dumping baseline data.
• Projects must be planned to run either for 12 months or 24 months.
• Spending on clean-up and disposal must not exceed 50% of total grant funding.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA regarding media or other promotion of the project. They must acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA. Any use of the EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping (RID) collateral must be in line with the instructions for use, as specified on the EPA’s Illegal Dumping Resource Kit.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project, including all data relating to project activities. Grantees must make sure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months. The EPA will favour a commitment to continuing to monitor the impact of the project for the 12 months following the project.
• Applicants should describe how the project relates to:
  • the entity’s illegal dumping strategy (if there is one in place).
  • any similar illegal dumping prevention projects/activities managed by the same or related entity.
• If any applicants are currently receiving EPA funding for illegal dumping initiatives, including but not limited to RID programs/squad, they should demonstrate how this project will complement the other funded initiatives.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• Size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting).
• Effectiveness of proposed approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area; extent of collaboration with appropriate partners and stakeholders; extent of integration with RID squad/program (where applicable) (30% weighting).
• Probable extent and longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting).
• Appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting).
• Excellence of project’s proposed data gathering and evaluation (10% weighting).

Application process

A brief Expression of Interest (EOI) must be submitted using the SmartyGrants platform. The EPA will contact you after you have submitted your EOI and will arrange a meeting during the period 13 – 23 October 2025. During this meeting, you can discuss your proposal and ask questions about the grants. After the meeting, you will be invited to complete a full application.

Initial EOI is due by 30 September 2025, and the full application is due by 27 November 2025.

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be made in 3 parts:

• Milestone 1: 60% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Milestone 2: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory progress, financial report and an invoice.
• Milestone 3: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final project, final financial report and an invoice.

Key information

This grant stream supports collaborative projects addressing illegal dumping across multiple land tenures for groups of organisations (including local councils, groupings of councils and state government public land managers).

Funding of up to $200,000 per group is available for projects to be completed within 24 months.

Project requirements

• Applications with a mix of state and local government entities will be viewed favourably, but this is not essential.
• Projects must include strategic prevention measures to reduce the illegal dumping problem. The selection process will favour projects that show an integrated approach towards preventing and targeting illegal dumping, meaning they incorporate more than one approach to illegal dumping outlined in the NSW Illegal Dumping Strategy 2022-2027.
• Projects do not need to be focused on specific hotspots – they can involve engagement or communications across the project area, but you will need to be able to measure the impact of your project activities on dumping rates in the target area.
• Supporting letters from project partners must be attached.
• A project steering group will need to be formed if your application is successful. It will need to be made up of suitably qualified representatives of the partner organisations, including the organisation/s managing public land on which proposed projects are to be located. Successful applicants must engage with EPA regularly and report on agreed milestones.
• Projects must be planned to run either for 12 months or 24 months.
• All partners in the application must have baseline data relating to the project target area (eg the LGA, a National Park etc). If there is uncertainty about the robustness of the data, please contact the EPA to discuss.
• Successful applicants must liaise with EPA regarding media or other promotion of the project. They must acknowledge the funding contribution made by EPA. Any use of the EPA-developed Report Illegal Dumping (RID) collateral must be in line with the instructions for use, as specified on the EPA’s Illegal Dumping Resource Kit.
• Successful applicants must use the EPA RIDonline database as part of their project and ensure that data is brought up to date in RIDonline at least every three months. The EPA will favour a commitment to continuing to monitor the impact of the project for the 12 months following the project.
• Partners can include entities that do not manage public land such as community groups, Local Aboriginal Land Councils or charities.
• Projects must not involve spending more than 50% of the grant funding on clean up and disposal of illegal dumped materials.
• If any applicants are currently receiving EPA funding for illegal dumping initiatives, including but not limited to RID programs/squad, they should demonstrate how this project will complement the other funded initiatives.

Assessment criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed by a technical review committee against the following criteria:

• Size and complexity of the illegal dumping problem, and how well is it demonstrated (40% weighting).
• Effectiveness of proposed collaborative approaches to prevent illegal dumping across targeted area; extent of integration with RID squad/program (where applicable) (30% weighting).
• Probable extent and longevity of the project’s impact (10% weighting).
• Appropriateness of budget and project value for money – predicted outcomes and outputs are proportionate to the funding amount requested and in-kind or other contributions (10% weighting).
• Excellence of project’s proposed data gathering and evaluation (10% weighting).

Application process

A brief Expression of Interest (EOI) must be submitted using the SmartyGrants platform. The EPA will contact you after you have submitted your EOI and will arrange a meeting during the period 13 – 23 October. In this meeting, you can discuss your proposal and ask questions about the grants. After the meeting, you will be invited to complete a full application.

Initial EOI is due by 30 September 2025, and the full application is due by 27 November 2025.

Payment schedule

Payment of grant funding will be made in 3 parts:

• Milestone 1: 60% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory project plan, signed funding agreement and an invoice.
• Milestone 2: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory progress report, financial report and an invoice.
• Milestone 3: 20% of grant funds will be paid on receipt of a satisfactory final project, final financial report and an invoice.