Shoalhaven residents are being invited to submit practical ideas to help curb illegal dumping, as part of a campaign being undertaken by Council to tackle the serious environmental issue.
During the 2024-25 financial year, Shoalhaven Council received more than 2,000 reports of unlawfully disposed waste, weighing more than 1,000 tonnes, mainly in bushland areas across the city.
Shoalhaven Mayor Patricia White said the financial and environmental impact of illegal dumping on ratepayers is unacceptable and she encouraged the community to share their thoughts with Council to stamp out the illegal behaviour.
"Last year alone it cost ratepayers more than $378,000 to clean-up this disgraceful mess. We cannot continue to stand-by as a community and allow the few people doing the wrong thing to ruin the amenity of our beautiful city," Cr White said.
"Thanks to funding from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) we have already installed more cameras, fencing and signage across the city as part of our concerted and ongoing efforts to mitigate the issue and prosecute those responsible," she said.
"We're now keen to hear ideas for practical solutions and strategies Council could consider implementing, to tackle illegal dumping. I'd also like to urge you to keep reporting any incidents of illegal dumping, so together we can keep Shoalhaven clean," she said.
Almost fifty per cent of reports of illegal dumping were made by Shoalhaven residents, which suggests a willingness of our community to help address the issue.
During the 2024-25 financial year, material illegally dumped across the Shoalhaven included:
- 346.93 tonnes of soil and excavated material
- 331.30 tonnes of household waste
- 114.52 tonnes of green waste
- 69.93 tonnes of vehicle parts, 18.99 tonnes of tyres '
- 12.06 tonnes of scrap metal
- 3.96 tonnes of asbestos.
While Council cannot reduce tipping fees, which are determined by the NSW Government waste levy, the organisation can find other ways to help address illegal dumping, particularly through encouraging recycling and re-use.
The community is now invited to share practical ideas to reduce illegal dumping via Council's Get Involved webpage by Sunday 22 March 2026. The feedback received will help guide future strategies to be considered by the organisation to help mitigate the issue.
This initiative is part of a broader education campaign being run by Council after it secured $76,000 from the EPA under the Illegal Dumping Prevention Program to help reduce and combat illegal dumping.
To report illegal dumping in the Shoalhaven, visit the Report Illegal Dumping (RID) webpage.
