Hume City Council has welcomed the increased focus on illegal dumping across Victoria this week, but says enforcement must be backed by stronger deterrents, greater investment and clearer accountability.
The Victorian Government has announced increased activity by the Illegal Waste Dumping Taskforce, including the use of drones, long-range cameras and additional officers to target illegal dumping hotspots. This week, One Nation Victoria also proposed increased fines for illegal dumping and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.
Council welcomes these developments but says they must lead to sustained action that reflects the scale of the problem in communities such as Hume.
Illegal dumping costs Hume ratepayers almost $5 million every year. It damages the environment, affects neighbourhood amenity, and diverts Council funding from services and infrastructure for the community.
Council has made tackling illegal dumping a key advocacy priority and is calling for:
- stronger penalties that provide a genuine deterrent to offenders
- greater enforcement powers and resources to identify and prosecute those responsible
- increased Victorian Government investment to help councils meet the substantial cost of cleaning up illegally dumped waste
- clearer accountability and better coordination between councils, government agencies and other land managers
- faster removal of dumped waste from state-managed land
Council believes the current approach leaves councils and ratepayers carrying too much of the financial and operational burden. Stronger enforcement must be matched by investment in prevention, investigation, prosecution and clean-up.
Greater accountability is also needed when dumping occurs on land managed by the Victorian Government or its agencies. Residents should not be left living alongside dumped rubbish while responsibility for removing it is determined.
Quotes attributable to Hume City Mayor, Cr Carly Moore:
"We welcome the increased focus on illegal dumping, but the action must match the scale of the problem facing communities like Hume.
"Hume ratepayers are footing an almost $5 million bill every year because people choose to dump their waste illegally. That is money our community should not have to spend cleaning up after offenders.
"We need tougher consequences, more support to catch and prosecute offenders, and greater investment to deal with the enormous clean-up burden.
"Regardless of who manages the land, our residents deserve to have dumped rubbish removed quickly. They should not be caught in the middle while responsibility is worked out.
"This is a welcome step, but enforcement alone will not solve the problem. Hume will keep pushing for the sustained action and investment needed to deliver a real difference on the ground."
To report illegal dumping in Hume, you can complete our online form,
