Litter and illegal dumping means tossing, tipping or depositing waste on land and in water, where it pollutes the environment and can harm human health. Dumped materials range from a piece of litter and small bags of rubbish to larger scale dumping of hazardous waste such as asbestos and chemicals in isolated bushland areas. Cleaning up this waste is expensive.
Litter and illegal dumping are serious problems in NSW. By working together, we can
- reduce the problem, keeping our bushland, parks and public places clean
- protect people and the environment from hazardous waste
- spread the message that littering and illegal dumping are wrong and offenders will be penalised
- increase reporting of illegal dumping and littering
EPA action to stop litter
The EPA
- undertakes research to better understand why people litter, inform programs and develop the NSW Litter Prevention Strategy
- delivers education and prevention campaigns
- provides grant funding to help councils and community groups combat local littering
- enforces laws relating to litter, including reporting littering from vehicles online
Help prevent littering
- Put your rubbish in the bin or take it with you
- Register to report littering from vehicles
- Find out if there are community group or council litter prevention programs in your area you can get involved with.
- Understand why people litter.
EPA action to stop illegal dumping
The EPA
- enforces laws relating to illegal dumping, including working with local councils to support Regional Illegal Dumping Squads and Programs
- manages education and prevention campaigns through the Illegal Dumping Strategy
- manages grant programs to help other organisations and individuals combat illegal dumping
Donator or dumper?
Watch a video highlighting the huge cost of illegal dumping on charities.
Help prevent illegal dumping
- Report illegally dumped waste
- When someone disposes of waste on your behalf, get proof it was disposed of to a legal landfill or recycling facility, for example, get tip dockets from a contractor. Remember, you are responsible for your waste.
- Know what is being brought onto your land. Free fill is rarely clean fill
- Find out more about ways of preventing illegal dumping on your land
- Join a managing illegal dumping project
- Understand why people dump waste.