The Gunnedah Shire Council Community Safety Team has issued a local resident with a $1000 fine for illegal dumping.
Residents notified Council that they had witnessed two men in a small four-wheel drive vehicle dumping a lounge suite on a Gunnedah footpath outside a vacant lot at about 8am yesterday. The vehicle they were driving was described as an early model Nissan X-trail, brown or tan in colour and towing a box trailer with a cage.
After reviewing private CCTV footage, Compliance Officers identified a suspect who was the passenger in the vehicle. The 56-year-old man was later spoken to, and he admitted to the dumping.
Compliance Officers are still seeking the driver of the vehicle and are asking anyone with information to contact Council on 6740 2100.
The NSW Government significantly increased the on-the-spot fines for illegal dumping and waste dumping offences in May this year. Illegal dumping and illegal waste costs Council and the community several thousand dollars per year to clean up and dispose of.
"Across NSW, it costs millions of dollars to clean up and there is often harm done to the environment and risks posed to people's lives.
Illegal dumping also undermines legitimate businesses," said Gunnedah Shire Council Manager Community Safety Wade Berryman.
Any information regarding illegal dumping can be reported confidentially or anonymously to Gunnedah Shire Council's Manager Community Safety on 02 67402100, the NSW EPA Environment Line 131 555, or www.ridonline.epa.nsw.gov.au.
