Point 6 of 6 · Brisbane

Who to tell about illegal dumping in Brisbane

In Brisbane, you report illegally dumped rubbish to Brisbane City Council, using its online form or by phoning Council. If what you saw was someone littering from a vehicle, Council’s page points you to the Queensland Government website to report it.

General information about Brisbane City Council’s illegal dumping page, not legal advice. Council is the place to check, and to report to.

What Council calls dumping

Council defines illegal dumping as unlawfully disposing of any type of waste material that adds up to 200 litres or more, with multiple items counted together. Anything under 200 litres is littering. The same 200-litre line is in Queensland’s Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011, which also treats a connected series of deposits at a place as one deposit.

Council’s page lists what illegal dumping includes:

“household rubbish
garden, building and commercial waste
items left outside a charity bin or shop
waste material left on a footpath outside scheduled kerbside collection days (without lawful purpose)
any other waste material that pollutes and damages the environment.”
Illegal dumping, Brisbane City Council

Reporting it to Council

Use Council’s online formIf you see illegally dumped items, or someone dumping waste, Council says you can report it with its online form.
Or phone CouncilBrisbane City Council’s number for reporting illegal dumping, as its illegal dumping page gives it: 07 3403 8888.
Keep your distanceThe same page says: “Your personal safety is important. Do not approach anyone depositing illegal waste or disturb the site.”

Two other cases have their own place to go. If you have seen someone littering from a vehicle, Council’s page says to report it online through the Queensland Government website. And if you think someone is handling, removing or dumping asbestos improperly, Council’s asbestos page asks you to contact Council. The Queensland Government’s own reporting page asks you, too, not to approach the person depositing the waste. It says the council or department will investigate a report, may issue a penalty infringement notice, and may contact you to confirm the details and take a witness statement.

Why Council asks

Cleaning up dumped waste is expensive and paid for by ratepayers, Council says, which is why it asks people to report suspicious activity. Its page lists what dumping can do:

“cause pollution and may block stormwater drains
spread pests, weeds and vermin
pose a fire hazard or accident risk
pose a health and safety risk if dumped waste includes sharp objects, asbestos, toxic substances, nappies and medical waste.”
Illegal dumping, Brisbane City Council

How fines work

Council can issue on-the-spot fines for dumped rubbish, and an infringement notice may be handed over on the spot or sent by post. A person or an organisation can be fined or prosecuted, and the total fine depends on how much waste was dumped. Council’s page sets out the amounts by volume, in penalty units, and separately for individuals and corporations.

For more serious offences Council may consider prosecution. The page says maximum penalties may apply in three circumstances:

dumping by repeat offenders
dangerous waste, such as asbestos or medical waste, that can harm people, property or the environment
dumping by commercial and small business operators.

If you have received a fine yourself, Council’s illegal dumping page links its payment options, and its kerbside collection page links an infringement notice self service portal.

Kerbside dumping

Council has a name for a common Brisbane case. Kerbside dumping is leaving an unacceptable item out for kerbside collection, and it includes leaving items on the kerb outside the scheduled collection dates for your suburb. Council says you may be fined for it. The kerbside guide has Council’s lists of what it will and won’t collect, and the 7 days you have to move an item it leaves behind.

If it might be asbestos

Australia’s national asbestos agency says it is “not recommended that you handle or remove asbestos yourself”, and that a professional doing the job is easier and safer. Brisbane City Council’s advice is to always use licensed contractors and never to handle it yourself.

Council says asbestos left untouched poses no immediate danger, but disturbing it through pressure cleaning, cutting or sanding can release harmful fibres. Queensland’s asbestos site lists what not to do, including: “Saw, sand, scrape or drill holes in asbestos materials.” The national agency adds that high-pressure water, and abrasive methods such as scrubbing, sanding or grinding, should never be used to clean asbestos cement roofs or any other asbestos material.

The national agency says all asbestos waste must go to a landfill site licensed to accept it. Queensland’s asbestos site puts it this way: “Asbestos waste must be disposed of at a landfill site that can lawfully receive asbestos waste.” It also says it is illegal to put asbestos waste in domestic garbage bins. Council’s resource recovery centres turn away asbestos and anything containing it. Queensland’s asbestos site gives two options for disposing of it. The second is a plastic-lined industrial skip “that may have been provided by a waste contractor with an environmental authority to transport regulated waste”. Both are quoted in full in the regulated waste guide.

Where commonly dumped things can go

Council names the items most often dumped: e-waste, white goods, garden waste and soil, furniture and mattresses. It suggests checking which of them can be recycled or disposed of at your local resource recovery centre. White goods and furniture are on Council’s acceptable list for kerbside collection, and its kerbside page says mattresses are accepted too; garden waste can go to a centre with a voucher or a fee, and the centres take e-waste.