With cases of illegal rubbish dumping on the rise, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield in metropolitan Adelaide has introduced a range of initiatives to reduce incidences both on
the kerbside, and in parks and open spaces.
Some 70 per cent of illegally dumped rubbish is of domestic origin, and South Australia alone spends over $1.1 million annually cleaning it up.
Port Adelaide Enfield spends around $300,000 each year investigating, removing and disposing of a diverse array of rubbish dumped in the Council area.
Waste Management Officer, Alan Richardson, said Council has an on call service, where residents can contact Council and arrange for hard refuse to be picked up.
“Residents phone in to have their rubbish collected and we give them a date when we will be in their area,” he said. “It is a great service, averaging around
18,000 pickups per year, but regardless of promotion on our website, and through local news, many residents still don’t know how it works. They see the booked rubbish being put out for collection and assume that if they place their rubbish out, it will be picked up. However, if a booking has not been made, the collection is not added to our schedule and our contractor will not collect it.”
As a tool to reduce illegal dumping, Council introduced a crime scene tape and sticker initiative that is carried out by its General Inspectors. Where Inspectors cannot identify the origin of illegally dumped waste, it is taped up with crime scene tape, stating that the area is under investigation. Inspectors also place stickers on dumped items and distribute an illegal dumping information flyer to households around the immediate area.
Alan Richardson said the method has been quite effective, with some ‘dumpings’ cleaned up and removed before further Council action is taken.
“The tape and stickers provide a visual element to the campaign,” he said. “It shows people we’re serious about investigating illegal dumping as a crime scene. We’re asking questions in neighbouring houses and we’re making people accountable for illegal dumping.”
To prevent further incidences, Council targeted the five suburbs with the highest incidences of illegal dumping through an intense campaign. Signs have been designed and erected in dumping hot spots and after hours inspectors drive through those areas, providing a Council presence and deterring people from leaving their rubbish.
Council also conducted a brochure mailout and ran articles in the local press and the Council paper. Brochures and ads included information on what is and is not acceptable hard refuse for collection and what residents can do with materials that don’t fit the criteria. It also outlined fines that could be applied to residents who leave out unacceptable hard refuse items, put out their rubbish too early, or dump in illegal locations.
While Port Adelaide Enfield is seeing some results from these initiatives, Alan Richardson said it is important that councils work together to create a Statewide emphasis.
“If laws and actions are not consistent, people will just drive a few kilometres to the next Council area and dump their rubbish there,” he said. “These people don’t see boundaries, and neither should we.”
In working towards a collaborative approach, Port Adelaide Enfield is working with the Illegal Dumping Working Group. Formed in 2007, the group comprises Keeping South Australia Beautiful (KESAB), Zero Waste SA and the Local Government Association of South Australia, along with the Cities of Port Adelaide Enfield, Tea Tree Gully, Onkaparinga and Playford, and the District Councils of Grant and Mallala.
The group has conducted several trials, picking up on some of the initiatives undertaken at Port Adelaide Enfield. Once all trials have been implemented and tested, the group will compile a Council Resource Kit outlining each trial and the outcomes. Alan Richardson said this will be useful in getting other councils and regional groups on board.
For further information contact Alan Richardson, telephone
(08) 8405 6600.
