Illegal dumping is the unlawful deposit of any type of waste material that is 200 litres or more in volume.
Illegal dumping of household rubbish, garden waste, building and commercial waste or other materials damages the Central Highlands’ natural areas.
Some common examples of illegal dumping include:
The deposit of any type of waste material that is less than 200 litres is also unlawful and penalties apply.
Instances of illegal dumping are commonly found in public places, roadside verges, bushland areas, and near the boundaries of council waste facilities (resource recovery centres).
Illegal dumping causes significant impacts for our communities. Council must spend a significant amount of time and money disposing of illegally dumped waste. Other impacts include:
Environmental impacts
Social impacts
For further information about littering, including litter problems, how littering offences are enforced and tips for how you can help, visit the Local Government toolbox Queensland website.
Did you know that illegal dumping and littering can be reported?
If you see someone littering or illegal dumping from a vehicle, trailer or in person, you can report it. You can even report piles of illegal dumped waste.
You can report illegal dumping to council by phoning 1300 242 686. You can also report instances to the Queensland Government by phoning 13 QGOV (13 74 68), emailing illegaldumping@des.qld.gov.au or online.
In order to report illegal dumping, you need to collect as many details as possible, such as:
Your safety in a situation where someone may be illegally dumping is important to council. Do not:
Council or the Department of Environment and Science will investigate any reports of illegal dumping.
They may issue a penalty infringement notice (PIN) under the Waste Reduction and Recycling (WRR) Act 2011 if necessary.
They may also issue compliance notices for the clean-up of the illegal dumping that includes collection, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of the waste.
If a person fails to comply with a compliance notice, they may face further penalties.
Littering and illegal dumping fines as at 1 July 2019
WRR Act 2011 |
PIN for individual | Maximum penalty in court for individual | PIN for corporation |
Maximum penalty in court for corporations |
103(1)(a): dangerous littering |
$533 |
$5,338 | $2,135 |
$26,690 |
103(1)(b): general littering |
$266 |
$4,003 | $1,334 |
$20,017 |
104(1)(a): illegal dumping less than 2500L of waste |
$2,135 |
$53,380 | $6,672 |
$266,900 |
104(1)(b): illegal dumping more than 2500L of waste |
$2,669 |
$133,45
Or twice waste levy (whichever greater) |
$10,008 |
$667,250 |
251(c): A person must comply with a compliance notice |
$1,334 |
$6,672 | $40,035 |
$200,175 |
Section 265: giving false or misleading information |
– |
$222,194 | – |
$1,110,971 |
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