A man caught in the act of illegal dumping in a state forest has been fined by Narrabri Shire Council following collaboration between the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA), Forestry Corporation of NSW and Narrabri Shire Council.
The alleged illegal dumping occurred in Etoo State Forest just outside the village of Pilliga in the Narrabri Shire Council area in August 2020.
EPA Director Regulatory West Operations Stephen Budgen said Forestry Corporation staff installed a surveillance camera which captured the incident. Surveillance camera signage was also installed by Forestry Corporation.
"Photos of the dumping incident were also captured by a surveillance camera installed by Forestry Corporation in the Forest, which provided the evidence required that ultimately led to the individual receiving a show cause letter shortly after the incident," Mr Budgen said.
"The waste dumped included a mattress, a sofa frame and a large barrel of household waste."
Mr Budgen said the ongoing surveillance of the area and communication between agencies was beneficial for both the local community and environment.
"Coordination between agencies means our state forests are very well monitored and protected. Keeping our forests clean is a priority and anyone considering dumping waste illegally is at significant risk of getting caught."
Mr Bugden said the man had been fined $4,000 and the waste had been cleaned up after the EPA issued the man a clean-up notice.
Penalty notices are one of a number of tools that regulatory agencies can use to achieve environmental compliance including formal warnings, official cautions, licence conditions, notices and directions and prosecutions. In this instance Narrabri Shire Council issued a penalty notice. The notice recipient may pay the penalty notice, seek a review, or elect to have the matter determined by a court.
