Litter and illegally dumped rubbish

Key points

  • Please report any incidences of rubbish dumping on Council land.  
  • Dumped rubbish and litter negatively impacts our environment, is a risk to community health and an unnecessary cost to Council and therefore ratepayers.  
  • We support community members who safely pick up litter.   
  • We educate and empower the community to correctly dispose of their household items. 

Report dumped rubbish    Report litter 

What is dumped rubbish?

Dumped rubbish is waste or unwanted items that have been discarded on public or private land without permission.  

Some commonly dumped items include: 

  • household rubbish 
  • garden waste 
  • bulky household items (such as furniture, mattresses, appliances or bikes) 
  • building waste (construction and demolition materials) 
  • asbestos 
  • tyres 
  • paint tins or chemical drums 

Our litter prevention team investigates all dumped rubbish requests and have installed CCTV cameras in illegal dumping hotspots. 

Offenders may be charged under the Environmental Protection Act 2017 and if found guilty, face a maximum penalty of $9616 or 50 penalty points. 

Dumped rubbish impacts

It costs the community money 
Managing and removing dumped rubbish is expensive for Council and therefore ratepayers.   

It harms our environment 
Dumped rubbish causes chemical and physical pollution in our parks, streets and waterways. It can also attract or spread pests and acts as a breeding ground for vermin. 

It is a health and safety risk  
Dumped rubbish such as tyres, green waste and flammable liquids are a fire risk. Other common safety risks of dumped rubbish include sharp objects, medical waste, and toxic substances like asbestos, which poses a serious health risk to anyone exposed to the dust. 

Report dumped rubbish

We encourage the community to report dumped rubbish on Council land to help make Cardinia Shire a cleaner and safer place.  

Council can only manage dumped rubbish on Council land, or adjacent to Council owned roads and infrastructure. Other authorities are responsible for removing rubbish dumped on their roads or infrastructure. 

Some of these authorities include: 

Tips to report dumped rubbish

  • Protect yourself and do not approach someone who is dumping rubbish. 
  • Do not touch or remove anything as you could injure yourself or potentially remove valuable evidence. 
  • Where possible, note down or take photos of anything that may help a future investigation, such as: 
    • time and place (be as specific as possible) 
    • offender’s physical appearance  
    • offender's car (make, model or number plate)  
    • the items that have been dumped  

Report online 

Report illegal dumping online 

Report by phone or email 

During business hours: 1300 787 624 or mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au 

After hours: Call the Environment Protection Authority Victoria 24-Hour hotline on 1300 372 842 

What is litter?

Litter is anything that has been disposed of incorrectly that ends up in our streets, parks and waterways. This includes coffee cups, cigarette butts, food wrappers and food scraps.   

Littering and illegal dumping is a crime under the Environment Protection Act 2017. 

Report litter and littering

If you witness someone littering please report it to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Victoria

You can also report significant litter to us for clean up by contacting us on 1300 787 624 or mail@cardinia.vic.gov.au

Report abandoned shopping trolleys

Our Local Law requires supermarkets and retailers with more than 25 trolleys to take proactive measures to reduce the number of trolleys left in the streets.  

If you find an abandoned trolley, report it to the relevant owner for collection. Trolleys are usually collected within 24-72 hours depending on scheduled collections. 

If a trolley is not collected within 72 hours after reporting or is from a retailer not listed below, call Council on 1300 787 624 or report online

Coles /1st Choice Liquor 

Go to the Coles ‘Report an abandoned trolley’ webpage or call 1800 876 553 

Kmart 

Call 1800 876 553

Woolworths / Dan Murphy’s / Big W 

Go to Trolley Tracker’s ‘Report a Trolley’ webpage or call 1800 641 497 

Aldi 

Go to Aldi’s ‘Report ALDI's Lost Trolley or Catalogues’ webpage 

Bunnings 

Call 1300 554 777 

Officeworks 

Call 1300 633 423 

How can I dispose of my waste correctly?

We support community clean up events

To help reduce litter, we support ‘clean up’ events by picking up and disposing of your collected litter after your community event.    

For more information go to our Clean Up Australia Day in Cardinia Shire webpage

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