The Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad is out in the Hunter keeping residents safe... safe from illegal dumpers.
The group is putting illegal dumpers on notice after a string of successful recent court actions resulting in big fines for the offenders who dump everything from construction material to asbestos.
RID is a joint initiative between the NSW Environment Protection Authority and eight local Councils in the Hunter and Central Coast. The squad has been targeting illegal dumping in the region since 2014.
The group has just secured funding for another four years so they can continue their mission.
"In the last 12 months, our squad which is comprised of members from eight different member councils in the area investigated over 1,000 - 1,020 to be exact, dumping incident involving about 19,000 tonnes of waste material," said Hunter coordinator Rob Robertson.
The RID also has the power to bring individuals and companies before either the Local Court or Land and Environment Court.
Rob says they've been issuing quite a number of on-the-spot fines particularly in Maitland, Singleton, Murrays Beach and Morisset.
"In last year we gave out over 70 on-the-spot fines with a face value of nearly $150,000. The on-the-spot fines for people who might be dumping material start at $2,000 and can go up to $8,000 so they're quite significant."
Illegal dumping isn't just unsightly in the Hunter, but it can cause long-term health implications for both people and the environment.
"There were certainly some significant dumps that we had success with. There were approximately 30 tonnes of skip bin type material that was dumped at the Hunter Economic Zone at Kurri and we were successful in tracing back the b-double truck that was involved in dumping that material," said Rob.
The RID squad is warning anyone who intends to dump waste illegally, they WILL be caught and could be fined thousands of dollars.
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| Illegal dumper at Murrays Beach Image supplied. |
