Lismore City Council would like to say a big thank you to the local community with illegal dumping at charity stores at record lows over the Christmas/New Year period.
Council issued a warning late last year that hefty fines of up to $4000 applied for anyone caught on camera dumping at charity stores, and it seems the message has hit home.
Lismore's Deputy Mayor Neil Marks explained that based on reports from charity stores, only 120kg of unusable items had been illegally dumped over the Christmas/New Year period. He said this is the lowest volume reported to Council in recent years.
"We are really pleased that the message is getting through that dumping rubbish with local op shops and charity stores is an offence. We'd like to thank the community for being more conscious this year – it's a really positive sign," Cr Marks said.
"Our charity stores are working hard to assist the most vulnerable in our community and they do not need the added cost of disposing of illegally dumped rubbish.
"Most stores now have 24-hour surveillance cameras at drop-off points and Council staff will be reviewing footage from those cameras with the intention of gathering evidence that may lead to action being taken against those responsible for the dumping."
Cr Marks reminded community members that all donations to charity stores should be of clean, reusable items.
"Rubbish or soiled items need to go in your kerbside collection bin or be taken to the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre for disposal," he said.
"The best way to manage your waste at home is to review your consumption and think about reducing what you use and buying reusable products wherever possible. We all need to be responsible for the waste we create and this philosophy is good for the environment and good for your hip pocket."
