Sydney’s $65 million garbage wastelands as illegal dumpers run free

LAZY residents using our streets as dumping grounds are costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and turning Australia’s international city into a shameful eyesore.

Just another day in Sydney. A resident is forced to navigate through dumped rubbish on Old South Head Rd, Bondi.

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AN illegal dumping crisis gripping Sydney is costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars as lazy residents turn our streets into shameful dumps by filling footpaths with disgusting piles of unwanted garbage.

Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton has slammed the inconsiderate idiots who are putting the environment and the health and safety of residents at risk by hurling their junk onto the streets and leaving it for others to sort out.

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph found numerous instances of mounds of potentially toxic garbage swamping our streets, endangering the lives of passers-by and making our beautiful city look like a disgraceful tip.

“Illegal dumping is wrong and can be a health risk or damage the environment,” Ms Upton told The Daily Telegraph after being confronted with the shocking images of piled up black bin bags and discarded mattresses. “Councils are left to clean up the mess caused by someone breaking the law. People who can’t be bothered to dispose of their waste properly should face the full force of the law.”

The situation has got so bad that tens of millions of dollars of your hard-earned cash is being used to pay for special inspectors to try to track down illegal dumpers.

Dumped rubbish in Bondi.

A collection of lounges dumped on Old South Head Rd, Bondi.

The state government will spend an incredible $65 million tackling the issue over the next four years, including special grants to councils being swamped by the garbage. There’s also a $9 million bill for special regional illegal dumping hit squads that try to catch the culprits.

Despite some councils cracking down on offenders, the problem appears to be growing worse, especially in high-density inner suburbs, where streets have become cluttered with broken furniture and dirty old mattresses.

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Rubbish in Redfern. Taxpayers are being forced to foot the bill for the gross dumping.

Disgusting scenes in Blackmore Ln, Redfern.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s City of Sydney has the highest rate of illegal dumpers, with 17,000 instances of dumped rubbish in 2016-17. It has a truck on call to respond to reports seven days a week.

City of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore (centre) faces the worst dumpers, with the City recording 17,000 instances of dumped rubbish in 2016-17.

It is closely followed by the high density areas of Randwick at 10,739 reports in a 12-month period and 9270 reports in the inner west.

Ku-ring-gai, which had 1067 instances of illegal dumping in 2016-17, has even hired more staff to keep a lid on the dumped rubbish problem.

“Council will now commit to funding a full-time, ongoing position to tackle the issue of illegal kerbside dumping,” a spokesman for the authority said.

Foster St, Surry Hills.

The blight on Bondi Rd, Bondi.

Rubbish strewn along Harbour St, Haymarket.

Councils are taking potentially hazardous cases of industrial waste and asbestos dumping to the courts but are also targeting idiots who hurl their safe, though sometimes unsanitary, household waste onto the streets. Georges River Council recently prosecuted a case involving dumped goods near a waste charity bin. The person was ordered to pay $7000 and court costs in June.

Liverpool Council’s chief executive Kiersten Fishburn said a third of the illegally dumped 2181 tonnes of rubbish collected there in 2016 could have been dealt with through its regular collections.

“These incidents occurred on streets outside homes, in rural and isolated areas and other public spaces,” Ms Fishburn said.

Warriewood’s trash littered footpaths. Picture: John Grainger

Rubbish on Nareen Pde at North Narrabeen. Picture: John Grainger

Dumped furniture on Clark St, Collaroy. Picture: John Grainger

Last financial year, the Sydney Regional Dumping Squad, an organisation involving eight councils, issued 60 infringements to offenders, yielding $93,500 in fines.

A Bankstown Council spokesman said the squad relied on tip-offs from the public to track down dumpers. “We are only as good as the initial information or tip-offs received from our residents and rely on them to be our eyes and ears for any suspicious activity … we can’t be everywhere all the time,” he said.

Most councils offer a kerbside collection for unwanted household goods at least a couple of times a year, which can make streets appear cluttered with junk, while others offer collection by appointment.