Illegally dumped rubbish is expected to cost Baw Baw Shire more than $84,000 this financial year with a recent incident in Ellinbank costing council more than $30,000 to clean up.
Council is encouraging the community to help reduce illegally dumped rubbish following an increase in incidents which is, in turn, impacting ratepayers.
Last month council was notified of an illegal dumping of rubbish on Hazeldean Rd, Ellinbank containing potentially high-level contaminants including asbestos and arsenic.
Waste contractors immediately began testing the soil. In the intervening period while awaiting results, more waste was illegally dumped at the location further contaminating the site.
In addition to the negative environmental impact, the cost to ratepayers to remedy that single event was $32,345 – almost half of council's allocated $67,200 budget towards addressing illegal dumping this financial year.
Council said the event was not a once-off and was emblematic of an increasing trend of illegal waste dumping across the shire.
Over the past three years, council's budget expenditure on illegally dumped rubbish increased 80 per cent.
As a result, council has been compelled to increase the allocated budget spend on illegal waste remediation each year. With the cost inevitably flowing onto ratepayers, council is asking for community assistance to eliminate illegal rubbish dumping by reporting incidents when they see them.
It is a criminal offence to illegally dispose of waste and, if caught, individuals may face multiple penalties including large fines.
Community members are encouraged to report any illegal dumping they may witness or have any information about to council through Snap Send Solve or to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) by calling 1300 EPA VIC (1300 372 842) or visiting www.epa.vic.gov.au.
To ensure residents can dispose of their waste correctly, council offers a range of hard waste collection options as well as the do-it-yourself drop offs at the four council operated transfer stations.
Mayor Cr Annemarie McCabe said it was alarming and disappointing to see the cost of illegal waste dumping in the shire had significantly increased over the past three years.
"This is a matter that council takes very seriously.
"Illegal dumping events like the one seen in Ellinbank have significant financial and environmental impacts for our entire community. Unfortunately, it's the 99 per cent of our community who do the right thing that ultimately bear the cost of these illegal acts. We want to do everything we can to ensure unnecessary costs are not passed onto them.
"If you see illegal dumping, I strongly encourage you to proactively report it to council or the EPA. Working together, we can stomp it out," she said.