Two illegal dumpers have been taught an expensive lesson, with a court ordering them to pay thousands of dollars for dumping piles of rubbish in the City of Swan.
Illegal dumping is a major problem for the Swan community, harming our environment, costing our ratepayers and creating safety hazards.
At the Midland Magistrates Court in July, one offender paid the price for illegal dumping after pleading guilty to three charges under the Litter Act 1979.
The court agreed that the offender knew the materials should have been disposed of at an appropriate facility when he dumped them illegally near Old West Road in Bullsbrook.
The materials included rotting food waste, smashed glass, flammable canisters and used tyres.
The court imposed a penalty of $1,500 and ordered the offender to pay the City $809 for legal costs and $2,719 for clean-up costs.
In a separate matter dealt with on the same day, the court fined another offender $500 and ordered them to pay the City $1,128 for legal costs and $735 for clean-up costs.
In that case, the court noted the illegally dumped materials were potentially blocking an emergency access way near Bernborough Avenue in Caversham.
Cleaning up illegal dumping cost the City more than $1 million in the 2023/24 financial year.
Tanya Richardson, City of Swan Mayor, welcomed the court’s rulings and congratulated City staff on their investigations.
Mayor Richardson said the City would continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to illegal dumping.
“Not only is it unsightly, but illegal dumping also pollutes the environment, harms our flora and fauna and can impact human health,” she said.
“We’re lucky to have so many beautiful natural assets in the City of Swan, including the Swan River, and it’s a shame to see people choosing to do the wrong thing.
“People have plenty of options for disposing of the rubbish they can’t put in their kerbside bins, including our recycling centres in Malaga and Bullsbrook, the Red Hill Waste Management Facility or pre-booked bulk verge collections.
“There’s no excuse for illegal dumping.”
