Illegal dumping costs Lake Mac more than $330,000 in a year

Cleaning up illegally dumped rubbish cost Lake Macquarie City Council more than $330,000 in the 2025/26 financial year, prompting a new campaign urging residents to report offenders.

Figures from the Hunter Central Coast Regional Illegal Dumping Program report show almost 7,500 tonnes of waste was dumped across the city, with almost 1,300 separate incidents recorded.

That compares with about 1,000 reported incidents and more than 2,000 tonnes of dumped waste in the 2023/24 financial year, according to figures council released in August 2024.

Household waste such as furniture and appliances made up more than 56 per cent of the dumped material, followed by tyres, commercial and industrial items and construction and demolition waste.

Almost 700 dumping locations were identified on council-owned land, where the vast majority of incidents occurred.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz said illegal dumping affected the whole community.

“Illegal dumping damages our bushland, waterways and wildlife habitats and places a significant financial burden on our community,” he said.

“Council has spent $331,000 cleaning up illegally dumped waste in the past financial year alone.

“That’s money that could otherwise be invested in parks, roads, playgrounds and community facilities.”

The awareness campaign, an NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) initiative funded by the waste levy, will run on radio, bus shelters, social media and council’s website.

It coincides with increased surveillance of dumping hot spots, where concrete barriers, gates, fences and bollards will also be installed.

Council team leader environmental compliance Shane Sykes said affordable alternatives were available for people who needed to get rid of problem items.

“Many items can be disposed of through our bookable bulky waste service or Community Recycling Centres,” he said.

All Lake Macquarie residents are entitled to two bookable kerbside waste collections in a 12-month period, or drop-off vouchers for the Awaba Waste Management Facility.

Mr Sykes said reports from the community were vital to catching offenders.

“Every report helps us investigate illegal dumping and take appropriate action,” he said.

“Our compliance officers work closely with the EPA to investigate reports and hold offenders accountable, but prevention is just as important.”

Offenders caught dumping paid a total of $7,400 in clean-up costs in 2025/26, with 13 clean-up notices, eight official cautions and 78 penalty notices issued.

Other landowners in Lake Macquarie paid $82,100 to clean up dumped material over the same period, while NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service paid $9,900.

Mr Sykes said Local Aboriginal Land Council land was the next most targeted, with 46 dumping locations identified.

That has led to a partnership between council and Awabakal Local Aboriginal Land Council to tackle the problem.

“Joining forces mean we can share resources and knowledge to crack down on this issue,” he said.

To report illegal dumping or book a bulky waste collection, visit lakemac.com.au.

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