Douglas Shire and Mareeba Councils will share almost $200,000 to fund special officers to crack down on illegal dumping.

The Palaszczuk Government will provide 27 local councils more than $2.9 million in funding to support boots on the ground in the ongoing fight against illegal dumping.

Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the Queensland Government’s Local Government Illegal Dumping Partnerships Program delivers vital funding to assist local councils to train and employ dedicated compliance officers to crack down on illegal dumping activities in their regions.

“This funding, from Round 2A of the program, will enable more than 30 illegal dumping compliance officers to continue their crucial work within the community, for up to 12 months,” Minister Scanlon said.

“We acknowledge the challenges councils face when it comes to managing the issue of illegal dumping and the Queensland Government is committed to ensuring councils have the necessary resources to tackle the problem head on.

“Illegal dumping costs Queensland communities millions in clean-up expenses every year, can be toxic to people and our native wildlife, and is a blight on our beautiful landscapes.

“Councils have reported that the cost of managing litter and illegal dumping was $28 million in the 2019-2020 financial year.

“Thanks to the previous round of the Partnerships Program, more than 17 million litres, or over 70,000 wheelie bins, of illegally dumped waste has been removed from the environment.”

Fines for illegally dumping waste range from $2,205 to $10,338, with the potential for much higher penalties for matters prosecuted in Court. Councils funded under the first round of Partnership Program grants issued more than 850 fines totalling $1.3 million.

Cook MP Cynthia Lui said by getting these boots on the ground, the councils will be able to shift their focus away from simply cleaning up illegally dumped waste to identifying and pursuing offenders.

“Our councils are spending too much money and time cleaning up after people who illegal dump rubbish in our beautiful region,” Ms Lui said.

“By working together, we are sending a strong message to offenders that illegal dumping will not be tolerated.”

Ms Scanlon said eligible local governments will soon be able to apply for funding under Round 2B of the Partnerships Program.

“A further $2 million will be available to eligible councils to employ frontline compliance officers and purchase equipment, or to improve the management and data reporting of illegal dumping,” she said.

“Applications are set to open later this year.”

Mareeba Shire Council - $83,669 to fund one illegal dumping compliance officer to carry out investigations, engage in community education and promote the reporting of illegal dumping

Douglas Shire Council - $103,852 to fund one illegal dumping officer to work on the Council’s Illegal Dumping Strategy by investigating and responding to illegal dumping occurrences, undertake enforcement and deliver education and promotional activities