ILLEGAL dumping in and around Port Stephens has a negative impact on the environment.

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Landcare groups consistently see garden waste on precious native habitats and household rubbish is dumped on reserves and in bushland.

Nicholas Jones, Council’s Waste & Compliance Coordinator told News Of The Area, “Illegal dumping costs the Councils across NSW millions of dollars each year.

“While it continues to be a problem in Port Stephens, the volume and frequency of illegal waste dumping has significantly decreased in recent times, which is great news for residents in Port Stephens.”

Council has taken an active approach to illegal dumping by consistently enforcing the law, running proactive prevention projects and improving options for residents to dispose of waste legally.

This approach has helped Port Stephens Council reduce illegal dumping in hotspot locations by 90% compared to last year.

“We know the problem of illegal dumping will always occur but it’s great to see the steps we’re taking have had a significant impact in Port Stephens.”

Port Stephens Council also actively engages with other stakeholders in the community like large land holders and NSW Government agencies to work together and share the responsibility for managing their land.

These include NSW Police, Roads and Maritime Services, National Parks & Wildlife, Local Aboriginal Land Councils and State Forests.

“We acknowledge there may be incidents of illegal dumping that we may not be aware of and we actively encourage the community to report incidents to either Council or the NSW EPA.

“Community reporting of dumping is a crucial part of the ongoing solution,” he said.

Council wants to make it easy for people to do the right thing.

That’s why Council offers 2 on-call kerbside collections per calendar year for bulky items and green waste,” said Aaron Malloy, Council’s Waste Management Coordinator.

The community is urged to take advantage of free drop off days for green waste and problem waste like mattresses, tyres, chemicals and e-waste.

“We’ve found the introduction of these free drop off days has led to a decrease in the amount of these items being dumped illegally. For more information about Council’s waste services, visit https://www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au/live/resident-services/rubbish-and-recycling,” said Malloy.

Of course one of the most sustainable solutions for household items is recycling and the Salamander Bay Recycling Centre takes all sorts of items like batteries, doors, and furniture.

By Marian SAMPSON