Council workers clean up polystyrene beads at a creek in Flinders. Photo: Shellharbour City Council.
Shellharbour residents are being urged to help tackle illegal dumping after large numbers of car tyres and bags of polystyrene were recently pulled from creeks and parks, highlighting the environmental and financial cost of improper waste disposal.
Shellharbour City Council is calling on the community to “dump the dumping” and keep Shellharbour beautiful after the recent incidents.
A report of polystyrene beads in the creek near the bridge at Village Green, Flinders resulted in teams from several council departments quickly stepping in to stop the beads from spreading further through waterways.
More than seven bags of polystyrene were collected in a single day, and the clean-up continued over several days ahead of heavy rainfall.
In a separate incident, they were called on to remove 50 car tyres from a single creek.
Mayor Chris Homer said the recent incidents were a stark reminder of the growing illegal dumping issue in the community, which caused problems for the whole community.
Cr Homer said dumping waste in public areas harmed the environment by damaging parks and waterways and came at a cost to council and ratepayers.
“Whether it’s tyres in a creek or mattresses left on a footpath, it’s frustrating for everyone,” he said.
“It damages our natural spaces and costs time and money to clean up.”
Cr Homer said council teams regularly dealt with a range of dumped items, on average collecting about eight to 10 mattresses every week.
He said in the 2024-2025 financial year, council took 64 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish to landfill – and that wasn’t including recyclables.
Common dumping hotspots included public reserves, footpaths and bushland throughout the Shellharbour municipality.
“We know most people do the right thing, and we’re simply asking everyone to keep looking out for our environment,” he said.
“If you see rubbish dumped, report it.
“And don’t forget, there are free and low-cost services available to help you get rid of waste properly.”
Many common household items can be dropped off for free at council’s Dunmore Recycling and Waste Disposal Depot.
This includes items like dryers, washing machines, televisions, scrap metal, batteries, paints, oils, and more, with a full list of accepted items on Shellharbour Waste.
Residents can report illegal dumping by calling council’s customer service team on 4221 6111 or reporting online at council’s Waste and Illegal Dumping webpage.
Council has been running numerous recycling and environmental campaigns to improve Shellharbour.
Its latest campaign is Plastic Free July to encourage residents to make small, everyday changes that can significantly reduce single-use plastic waste and help protect the environment.
