The team at Cheapest Load of Rubbish are dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of garbage. There are many negative effects of companies and individuals dumping rubbish and garbage illegally. We’ve developed this handy infographic to show these effects in a visual way.

What is illegal dumping?

  • Illegal dumping is the dumping of waste in an unauthorised method.
  • It is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land, including waste dumped or tipped on a site with no licence to accept waste.

Examples of illegal dumping:

  • Throwing household waste or garden rubbish into nearby forests or parks.
  • Dumping your construction waste in someone else’s bin.
  • Leaving household goods or furniture on the side of the road with a free sign.

Why illegal dumping is so harmful:

  • It can harm people’s health through exposure
  • Can create fire hazards and block emergency exits which can endanger lives
  • Can contaminate the environment and poison animals
  • It can pollute waterways
  • It costs millions of dollars of taxpayer money to clean up each year

The effects of illegal dumping:

A common method of illegal dumping is throwing garbage directly into a river or stream, this causes oceanic pollution and leads to the death of marine life.

Waste that is dumped illegally often contains dangerous and toxic substances, which soak in all the oceanic oxygen. This leads to depletion of oxygen available to mammals and other fish causing them to die in their natural habitat. Dolphins, seals and other sea life also get caught or choke on plastic material such as plastic bags and rings, causing debilitating health or death. Every year, according to reports, more than one million seabirds are being killed by ocean pollution.

Toxic substances can be released from the waste that is illegally dumped, this is damaging to people who come into contact with these substances. Children are most notably at risk if garbage is dumped in a public area such as a park.

Since 2004, NSW local government areas have reported an increase in illegal dumping, a problem costing one in 10 NSW councils more than $500,000 a year.

Some Interesting Statistics:

  • 27% of waste producing businesses had dumped waste illegally in 2015.

Type of waste dumped:

  • 20% Household – furniture, clothes, mattresses, etc
  • 17% Household – domestic rubbish
  • 17% Green Waste
  • 10% Household – white goods
  • 9% Construction and demolition
  • 7% Tyres
  • 5% Asbestos not mixed with other waste
  • 5% Abandoned cars
  • 4% Commercial and industrial waste
  • 3% Asbestos mixed with other waste
  • 3% Soil and excavated material
  • 1% Liquid waste

The most common location for illegal dumping to occur (ordered from most to least common):

  1. Roadside
  2. Bushland
  3. Vacant Lot
  4. Near landfill sites
  5. Waterways and drains
  6. In illegal landfills
  7. Around charity shops and bins

Who is most likely to dump waste illegally?

  1. Householders
  2. Small Businesses
  3. Large Businesses

Maximum fines for dumping rubbish illegally:

Type of litter

Example

The maximum penalty if contested in court

General littering and littering from a vehicle (including boats)

Throwing a cigarette butt from a car window into the gutter; or food wrappers, bus tickets or food items left on the ground.

$3,300

Dangerous littering

Any litter that can cause harm to humans, wildlife and property. This includes broken glass left in a playground or a lit cigarette in dry grass.

$4,400

Illegal dumping More than 200 L and less than– 2500 L

Disposing of waste in an area that is not a dedicated waste facility. For example, large domestic items such as fridges and garden refuse and waste from construction, demolition and excavation activities.

$44,000

Illegal dumping ≥ 2500 L

$110,000

How Cheapest Loads of Rubbish can help

Our experienced team are able to sort out your rubbish and dispose of it appropriately as fast as you need us to. All you need to do to get the process started is to contact the friendly Cheapest Load of Rubbish team for a FREE quote.

Sources:

https://www.ccia-net.com/illegal-dumping-effect-health/

https://greentumble.com/how-does-illegal-dumping-affect-the-environment/

https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/-/media/epa/corporate-site/resources/illegaldumping/150481-illegal-dumping-report.pdf?la=en&hash=84938FC9E2A45C3067ACC57DD9E9F39E2B652B11

https://www.ehp.qld.gov.au/waste

https://www.smh.com.au/environment/illegal-dumping-increasing-in-nsw-but-the-garage-sale-trail-is-lending-a-hand-20151015-gka9ln.html

https://www.marineinsight.com/environment/causes-and-effects-of-ocean-dumping/